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I 



Bible History 



WITH 



MAPS, ILLUSTRATIONS, EXAMINATION QUESTIONS, 
SCRIPTURAL TABLES, AND GLOSSARY. 



FOR THE USE OF 



l^olkjc^, ^cbob, lamiliij^, and ||ibW ^tutlenis. 



BY 

REV. JAMES '^'LEARY, D.D. 



NEW YORK : 

D. & J. SADLIER & CO., No. 31 BARCLAY STREET. 

1873- 






Mpvmi^uUon. 



PER MISS U SUPERIORUM. 




Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by 

D. & J. SADLIER & CO., 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 



TO 



THE REV. EDWARD McGLYNN, D.D., 

Pastor of St. Stepheii s Church, New York, 

AS AN APPRECIATION OF HIS GREAT LEARNING AND TALENTS, HIS 

EMINENT SERVICES TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, AND 

HIS MANY VIRTUES, BY THE AUTHOR, 

J. O'LEARY. 



PREFACE. 




jAD I not seen many deficiencies in the Bible 
histories which have issued from the CathoHc 
Press, I could not have been induced to write 
the present work. There is a sad desideratum 
common to them in the absence of information about the 
Bible itself, its writers, and the books of which it is com- 
posed. Fully one-half of the sacred volume is devoted to 
the doctrines, laws, discipline, and destiny of God's people. 
That portion of the Bible is the more important, both 
because its direct aim is the inculcation of faith and morals, 
and since, according to high authority, the Spirit of 
God was not accredited to the sacred writers as mere 
chroniclers of human affairs. A book which is based on the 
annals of the Hebrew nation and the records of primeval 
Christianity, and which omits the main work of the Holy 
Spirit, the Author of the sacred books, seems foreign to 
the scope of the Bible, and presents an historical edifice of 
a miraculous character without showing the foundation on 
which that structure stands. The Bible is a letter of the 
Almighty to the human race. Is it proper to dwell upon 
only a portion of that letter, and pass by in silence its 
Author and history? Besides, history, whether it be of the 
Synagogue or the Church, of the Greeks or the Romans, 
should be so written as not to break the flow of the narra- 
tive by the introduction of matter whose importance is not 
as great as that of the historical subject. The history of 



6 Pirface, 

a people should never be broken by an account of an 
individual, if that individual is not its representative or in a 
special way connected with its destinies. I would further 
remark that our Bible histories seem better suited to pious 
reading than to the conveying of instruction, and are 
calculated to excite in the mind of the reader a feeling of 
awe rather than a love of appreciation. They are thus 
unfitted to be mediums of intellectual culture, not to say 
instruments for training and moulding the minds of youth. 
A Bible history should be a mirror to reflect the double 
light of God's illumination through reason and revelation. 

Now, I have aimed at writing a Bible history which, 
based on the Bible, would breathe its spirit, and present a 
knowledge of its history, prophecy, and hagiography with 
the same degree of importance as the Bible accords them 
respectively. I have endeavored to write a history which 
would give a full view of the sacred book, and would not 
only treat of historical facts, but also of the sacred authors 
v/ho committed them to writing. There are few persons to 
whom a knowledge of Isaias, Jeremias, and Samuel, Elias and 
Eliseus, is not more interesting than the history of the worth- 
less kings and sinful people about whom they wrote and 
spoke. I am of opinion that the Bible narrative as given by Mo- 
ses and Josue, Samuel and the Prophets, Esdras and Nehemias, 
Hyrcan and Jason, and the Evangelists, should be preserved 
unbroken. Accordingly, I have removed as episodes to a 
chapter by themselves such books as Job, Ruth, Tobias, 
Ju-dith, and Esther. Where there is a gap in the history of 
God's people, such as between the books of Kings and 
Esdras, between Nehemias and Machabees, between Ma- 
chabees and the Evangelists, I have had recourse to 
Josephus, a Jewish historian who is praised by such vene- 
rable ancient writers as Origen, St. Ambrose, Isidorus 



Preface. 7 

Pelusiota, Socrates, and Sozomcnus. I have added from 
ecclesiastical writers sketches of the Apostles omitted by 
St. Luke in the Acts. I am of opinion, likewise, that the 
Scripture narrative should, as far as possible, be retained, 
because it always has the weight oPan original document, 
because it is oftentimes inimitable in beauty or incompara- 
ble in force, and because it at once communicates knowl- 
edge and familiarizes the reader with Biblical thought, 
phraseology, and style. I have suppressed the division 
of Scripture into chapters and verses, and, for the most 
part, excluded references, wishing the mind of the reader 
to be filled with Scriptural thought rather than his memory 
to be burdened with cumbrous appendages. In presenting 
the life of Jesus Christ, who is the central figure of revela- 
tion, I have grouped His Discourses and Parables into two 
chapters, which the student will find to be the best sermon- 
book in the world. The chapters on Christ's Miracles and 
Prophecies will stamp the seal of His divine authority 
upon his doctrines. 

I have distributed the whole book into seven sections and 
fifty-three chapters, that the conspectus may be more com- 
prehensive and the subdivisions more closely knit together. 
In the first section, I have set down in its true light the 
position which the Bible has always occupied to the Church 
of God. In the next five sections, I have treated of the 
Sacred Historians, and (what is usually called Bible His- 
tory) given the substance of their writings. I have devoted 
the seventh section to the Bible Episodes, the Prophetical 
Books, and the Hagiographa, These seven sect'ons, with 
four series of tables, will, to my mind, impart all the know- 
ledge that is needed about the Bible even in our day. 

I have paid especial attention to geography and chro- 
nology, which Bossuet very elegantly calls the eyes of the 



8 Preface, 

historian. Without them history is an unintelligible num- 
ber of facts in the memory, and the mind is a chaos without 
preparation. I have introduced a series of twelve maps, 
illustrating Bible History from the earliest times to the 
Apostles, to communicate a knowledge of geography, and 
I have written two series of chronological tables to fix 
dates upon the mind more effectually and in detail. I have 
at times called to my aid metrical mnemonics or memory- 
aids to relieve the tedium and dryness inseparable from 
historical studies. I have made use of a glossary and 
examination questions to impart information where wanted, 
and impress it when acquired. 

To render this work more attractive and interesting, the 
publishers have beautified it with illustrations in the highest 
style of the art, to which I have appended explanatory 
stanzas ; and they have spared neither time, nor thought, 
nor money to make it everything to be desired. 

Having seen, in common with the publishers, the difficul- 
ties before us, I have appealed for light to the Holy Spirit, 
and I leave the result of my labors to the decision of the 
proper ecclesiastical authorities, the judgment of scholars, 
the experience of teachers, and the verdict of the public. 

J. O'L. 



CONTENTS 



SECTION I. 



Chap. I.— Origin, Object, and Structure of the Bible— from a.c. 1487 to a.d. 99, . 13 

II. — The Bible to the Council of Nice— from a.c. 1487 to a.d. 325, . . 17 

III.— Historj^ of the Bible from the Council of Nice (a.d. 325) to the Council 

of Trent (a.d. 1545), 21 

IV.— Protestant and Catholic Bibles, 24 

v.— Religious Denomfhations and the Bible- 26 



SECTION 11. 



HISTORIANS OF THE BIBLE. 



VI.— Moses, the First Bible Historian, 30 

VII.— Josue, Samuel, and the Prophets, 35 

VIII.— Esdras, Nehemias, and the Writers of Machabees, 38 

IX. — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, 42 

X.— Characteristics of Bible Historians, 48 



SECTION III. 



IBLE HISTORY FROM MOSES. 



XI.— The Creation 53 

XII.— The Fall and Punishment of Man, 57 



Contents. 



PAGE 

Chap. XIII.— Cain, Abel, and Seth — a.m. 1-130, 61 

XIV\— The Patriarchs to Noe— Life of Men before the Fiood— a .m. 130- 

1656, . ; . . . ' . . . 63 

XV.— Xoe, tbe Ark, and the Flood.— a.m. 1656 t-. 

XVI.— The Posterit}- of Xoe, the Tower of Babel, and the Confusion of 

Tongues.— A.M. 1656-A.M. 1757, go 

XVII.— The Posterity of X'oe to the Call of Abram.— a.m. T757-A.M. 2023 or 

2083 71 

XVIII.— The History- of Abram.— A.M. 2083-A.M. 2183, 73 

XIX.— History of Isaac— A.M. 2t83-A.M. 22S8, -So 

XX. — History of Jacob. — .a..m. 22S8-A.M. 2315, 86 

XXI. — Captivity of Jacob's Posterity in Eg3'pt. — a.m. 23I5-25I3-i;.c. 16S5- 

1487, 95 

XXII.— Deliverance of God's People by Moses.— A.M. 25i3-r..c. 14S7, ... 98 

XXIII. — The Journey to Mount Sinai, and the Delivery of the Law, . . . log 

XXI\'.— The Jews at Mount Sinai.— A.M. 2513-B.C. 14S7, 116 

XX^'.— Wanderings of God's People under Moses in the Desert.— am. 2513- 

A.M. 2553— B.C. 1487-B.C. 1447, 128 

XXVI.— The last Encampment, and the Death of Moses. — a.m. 2553-15.0. 1447, . 142 

XXVII. — The Conquest of Canaan. — a.m. 2553-.\.m. 2560 — r.c. 1447-B.c. 1440, . 145 



SECTION IV. 

HISTORY FROM S.A.MrEL AND THE PROPHETS — (jCDGES). 

XXVIII.— History of God's People under the Judges.— a.m. 2560-A.M. 2909— p.. c. 

1440-15. c. 1091, ....."....... 155 

XXIX. — Reign of Saul, the First King of the Jews. — a.m. 25og-A.M. 2949 — r.c. 

logi-B.c. 1051, ............ 169 

XXX.— The Reign of King David. — a.m. 2949-. a.m. 2989 — b.c. 1051-B.c. ion, . 179 

XXXI. — The Reign of King Solomon. — a m. 2989-A.M. 3029— b.c. lon-n.c. 971, . 190 

XXXII. — Kingdom of Israel. — b.c. 971-B.c. 722, ....... 201 

XXXIII. — The Kings of Juda. — b.c 971-B.c. 606 and 588, 215 



Contents. 



XI 



SECTION V. 

BIBLE HISTORY FROM ESDRAS, NEHEMIAS, HYRCAN, AND JASOX. 

NAnUCHODONOSOR TO CHRIST. 

PAGE 

Chap. XXXIV.— Juda during the Babylonian and Persian Empires. — b.c. 6o6-b.c. 323, 231 
XXXV.— Juda during the Grecian and Roman Empires.— b.c. 323-A.D. i, . 243 



SECTION VI. 



CHRIST S LIFE TO HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY, FROM MATTHEW, MARK, JOHN, AND LUKE 



XXXVI.— The Three Revelations of God 

XXXVII.— The Incarnation, Birth, Circumcision, and Presentation 

Chr:st, 

XXXVIII.— The Life of Jesus Christ to his Public Ministry.— a. d. 1-30, 
XXXIX.— Tlie Public Life of John the Baptist.— a. d. 29-30, . 

XL.— Public Life of Jesus Christ, 

XLI — Public Life of Jesus Christ (continued) — a.d. 32-33, 
XLII. — The Discourses of Jesus Christ. — a.d. 3o-33)t5', 
XLIII.— The Parables of Jesus Christ —a.d. 31-3314, 
XLIV, — Miracles of Jesus Christ.- a.d. 3o-337tf, 
XLV. — The Prophecies of Jesus Christ. — a.d. 30-33V2, 
XLVL— The Passion of Jesus Christ.— a.d. 3314, 
XLVIL— The Resurrectio:i and Ascension of Jesus Christ.— a.d. 33' 
XLVIII.— The Apostles of Jesus Christ.— St. Peter.— a.d. 34-69, . 
XLIX.— The Apostles of Jesus Christ— St. Paul.— a.d. 34-69, 

L.— The Remaining Apostles of Jesus Christ.— a.d. 34-101, . 



of Jesus 



263 
273 
280 
286 
295 
305 
339 
3.t5 
37S 
384 
399 
4o3 
423 
436 



xii Contents. 



SECTION VII. 

BIBLE EPISODES. — THE PROPHETS OF THE BIBLE. — THE WRITERS OF THE HAGIOGRAPHA,— CHRO- 
NOLOGICAL TABLES.— GLOSSARY. 

PAGE 

Chap. LI.— Job, Ruth, Tobias, Judith, Esther.— b.c. 1340-500, 439 

LII. — The Prophets of the Bible. — a.c. 694-A.D. 98, 446 

LIII.— The Hagiographa, 455 



First Series.— Chronological Tables, 461 

Second Series.— Books of the Bible, 467 

Third Series. — Scripture Weights, Measures, and Money, .... 4^9 

Fourth Series. — Scripture Time-Tables, 471 

Glossary, 473 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



NAME. 

Moses in the Nile, 

St. Matthew, 

St. Mark, .... 

St. Luke, .... 

St. John, .... 

Adam Naming the Animals, 

The Fall of Adam, . 

The Punishment of Adam, 

TheMurder of Abel, 

TheArkofNoe, 

Agar and Isnmael in the Desert 

Rebecca at the Well, 

Jacob Blessed by Isaac, 

Joseph before Pharao, 

Joseph and his Brethren, . 

The Pas age of the Red Sea, 

The Water from the Rock, 

The Tabernacle, 

The Ark of the Covenant, 

The Loaves of Proposition, 

The Golden Cand estick, . 

The Altar of Ho'.ocausts, . 

Dress of the Iligh-Triest, . 

Dresses of Priests, 

The Altar of Incense, 

Nabad and Abiu, Sons of Aaron 

The Rod of Aaron, 

Balaam's Ass, 

Death of Sisara, 

Samson and the Lion, 

Samson and Dalila, . 

Samuel hews Asag in Pieces, 

Death of Absalom, 

The Dedication of the Temple, 

The Flight of Elias, . 



PAGE 


[ NAME. 


fAGE 


32 


The Annunciation, . 


262 


•40 


Mary's Visit to Elizabeth, 


. 264 


44 


The Xativitj', .... 


266 


46 


The Shepherds, .... 


263 


50 


Presentation of the Messias in th 




52 


Temple, 


270 


56 


The Messias in tlie Temple, . 


272 


58 


The Magi, 


274 


60 


The Flight into Egypt, 


. 276 


C6 


Christ in the Temple, 


. 27S 


76 


The Baptism of Christ, 


282 


82 


Mary Magdalen, 


290 


84 


Nicodemus with Christ, : 


. 3c6 


88 


The Prodigal Son, 


• 346 


92 


The Change of Water into Wine, 


356 


106 


Christ Stills the Storm, 


• 358 


no 


Christ Walks on the Sea, • 


360 


118 


Christ Heals the Paralytic, 


3^4 


120 


The Demoniac, .... 


3C6 


121 


The Widow of Nairn's Son, 


3:^ 


122 


Christ in the Garden, 


30O 


123 


'• Behold the Man !" . 


3:^ 


12} 


Christ Carrying His Cross, 


.^02 


124 


Christ taken Down f. cm the Cross, 


396 


125 


The Resurrection, 


39S 


T26 


The Ascension, .... 


4c6 


134 


The Judgment on Ananias, 


412 


138 


An Argel Releases Peter, 


4H 


158 


The Stoning of Stephen, . 


416 


164 


The Conversion of St. Paul, 


422 


i£6 


Job en the Dunghill, 


440 


174 


Tobias Recovers His Sight, 


<-I2 


186 


Judith with the Head of Holorernes, 


4A4 


156 


Daniel in the Lions' Den, 


<ZJ 


2C4 


The Heaveno Open to St. John, 


1';- 



MAPS. 



FACB PAGE 

Modern Palestine, 13 

Armenia, Assyria, Babylonia, Syria, etc., in the Patriarchal Ages, .... 69 

The Nations of the Ancient World, 73 

Canaan in the Patriarchal Ages, 75 

Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula, 99 

Canaan as Divided among the Tribes, .127 

Dominions of David and Solomon, 179 

The Kingdoms of Judah and Israel, 201 

Assyria and the Adjacent Lands, 231 

Jerusalem and its Environs 255 

Palestine in the Time of Our Saviour, 287 

The Roman Empire, 409 




D. & J. SADLIER & CO.. N, Y. 



SECTION I 



CHAPTER I. 

ORIGIN, OBJECT, AND STRUCTURE OF THE BIBLE FROM A.C. 1487 

TO A.D. 99. 

The Bible is the book the Lord inspirits : 
It shows mankind's perfections and demerits, 
And is a treasure which Christ's Church inherits. 

HE word, Bible^ which is a singular Eng- 
Ush noun from a Greek plural, means a 
book, or, by excellence, The Book. 
Scripture, Holy Scripture, Divine Scrip- 
ture, and Sacred Scripture, were used 
as words of like import, but, like the 
corresponding Greek terms, served to 
distinguish written from unwritten reve- 
lation. The Old and the New Testa- 
ments mark the Mosaic and Christian 
dispensations. Sometimes we find Cove- 
nant substituted for Testament; and, in the primitive Western 
Church, the words Testament and Instrument were used indis- 
criminately. 

2. The Law, the Prophets, and the Sacred Writings is a 

\\ Scriptural expression applied to the Old Testament, and 

V seems to refer to the religious development of the Jewish 

' people. By the Law, the children of Abraham were called 

from among heathen people to be the chosen nation of God; 

m the Prophets, we have an insight of the relations of God's 

people with surrounding nations; and in other sacred writings, 

such as the Psalms, one finds a foretaste of individual joys 

expected from the fulfilment of God's law. There are some 




1^ 



14 Origin of the Bible. •!a!d.''^^ 

who would for a like reason make a tripartite division of the New 
Testament — first the four Gospels, next the Acts and the Epistles, 
and, lastly, the Apocalypse. St. Jerome applied a very beautiful 
name to the Bible when he termed it the Holy Library ; for, in 
reality, it is not a book, but a collection of books written at various 
periods through a long succession of cycles, by different authors, in 
countries far distant from one another, and among peoples differing 
in laws, language, and characteristics. In this Holy Library, the 
Author, Librarian, and Expounder of which is the Holy Spirit, God 
wished the peoples of both dispensations to be instructed. 

3. No race or society can last without letters, literature, and 
written laws. Was it proper that the race of Abraham, in whom all 
races were to be blessed, and the society of Jesus Christ, which was to 
be elevated on the top of the mountains, should be without the 
influence of written records to elevate, to enlighten, to sanctify, and to 
spirituahze ? As we find the Zend Avesta among the Persians, the 
writings of Confucius among the Chinese, the Vedas among the 
Hindoos, the Koran among the Mohammedans, so we see the Bible 
is a light to the nations of Christendom. But with the Synagogue 
and the Church the Bible was always an accessory. The Synagogue 
and the Church received their authority directly from God, so that 
the Bible has been based on and preserved by the Synagogue and 
Church. The Ark and its contents were captured by the Philistines, 
but the Synagogue did not fail. The Gospel of St. Matthew was 
written in Hebrew, and though the Holy See in the days of the 
Western revival offered rewards for a copy of the original, no one 
was discovered; the Church outlived the loss of the original, and 
preserved the revelation it contained in the language of the Greeks. 
The Church is an ambassador from God to the human race — the 
Bible may be called its credential papers; the Church has a title to 
live amongst and be supported by nations — the Bible may be styled 
its divine tide-deed ; the Church has a right to govern the souls of 
men, leading them to the kingdom of heaven — the Bible may be 
termed a decree from the Almighty to proclaim and sanction that 
right. 



i ^- '^ll \ Origin of the Bible, 1 5 

4. The decision of the Synagogue and the Church was always 
regarded as final and conclusive in determining what books belong 
to the Bible. Before the coming of Christ, the Spirit of God 
was with the Synagogue, and made it a living, speaking authority 
whose inerrancy was guaranteed by Jehovah. But when the New 
Covenant was sealed, and the Holy Ghost descended upon the 
Apostles on the morn of Pentecost, the guardianship of Revelation, 
the unerring Spirit of God, and the inheritance of the spiritual chil- 
dren of Abraham descended to the Church. The Church became 
the sole living, speaking, authoritative oracle of God among men. 
She alone could infalHbly declare what books were authentic, what 
books genuine; what books were apocryphal, what books spurious ; 
where there was a gloss, or an interpolation, or a change in the 
sacred text. 

5. Neither the Synagogue nor the Christian Church issued 
decisions needlessly. The judgment usually covered the ground of 
controversy, or satisfied the necessity that called it forth. Hence, 
debatable questions may have remained, and did remain, to be set- 
tled by the Christian Church after the burial of the Synagogue. In 
such matters, to appeal to the judgment of the Synagogue is to 
address a corpse from which the Spirit of God has departed; to 
ignore the fuller light of the New Revelation, and to turn away from 
the Church to which Jesus sent the Paraclete to teach all truth, and 
with which He has promised to abide to the end of time. Had we 
lived in the days of the Synagogue, and did we wish to be true chil- 
dren of Abraham, we should say with Josephus (c. Apion. i. 8) : 
" What faith we place in our Scriptures is seen from our conduct. 
They have suffered no addition, diminution, or change. From our 
infancy, Ave learn to regard them as decrees of God ; we observe them, 
and, if need be, we gladly die for them." We who live under the 
Christian Revelation, and who have for our guide, not men nor the 
learning of men, but the Spirit whom Jesus did send, can, in the ful- 
ness of faith, say with the Council of Trent (Fourth Session) : " If any 
one does not receive, as sacred and canonical, the books themselves 
entire, together with all their parts, as they have been read in the 



1 6 Origin of the Bible. {aId/Io 

Catholic Church, and as they are had in the ancient Latin Vulgate 
edition, let him be anathema." The Scriptural Canon is set forth 
by the Council of Trent, Session IV., in these words : 

" The books of Sacred Scripture are the following : Of the Old 
Testament, the five books of Moses, that is. Genesis, Exodus, Leviti- 
cus, Numbers, Deuteronomy; Josue, Judges, Ruth, the four books 
of Kings, two of Paralipomenon, of Esdras the first book, and the 
second which is called Nehemias, Tobias, Judith, Esther, Job, the 
Psaltery of David of one hundred and fifty Psalms, Proverbs, Eccle- 
siastes, the Canticle of Canticles, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Isaias, 
Jeremias, with Baruch, Ezechiel, Daniel; the twelve minor prophets, 
that is, Osee, Joel, Amos, Abdias, Jonas, Micheas, Nahum, Haba- 
cuc, Sophonias, Aggeus, Zacharias, Malachias, two books of Macha- 
bees, the first and second. Of the New Testament, the four Gospels 
according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John ; the Acts of the 
Apostles, written by Luke the Evangelist ; fourteen epistles of Paul, 
to the Romans, two to the Corinthians, to the Galatians, to the 
Ephesians, to the Philippians, to the Coiossians, two to the Thessa- 
lonians, two to Timothy, to Titus, to Philemon, to the Hebrews ; 
of Peter the Apostle, two epistles ; of John the Apostle, three ; of 
James the Apostle, one ; of Jude the Apostle, one, and the Apoca- 
lypse of St. John the Apostle." Books of whose authority there 
was never any doubt in the Church are called proto-canonical ; 
those of whose authority there has been doubt at some period are 
deutero-canonical. In the Old Testament, the following are deu- 
tero-canonical : Esther, Tobias, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, 
Baruch, the two books of Machabees ; in Daniel the Canticle of 
the Three Children, and the history of Susanna, of Bel, of the dra- 
gon; and in the New Testament, the Epistle of St. Paul to the 
Hebrews, the Epistle of St. James, the Epistle of St. Jude, the second 
Epistle of St. Peter, the second and third Epistles of St. John, the 
Apocalypse, the last twelve verses of the Gospel of St. Mark, the 
bloody sweat in the twenty-second chapter of St. Luke, and the 
woman taken in adultery in the eighth chapter of St. John. As the 
divinity of Christ was doubted before the Council of Nice, so these 



a'.d/s^U ^^^^ Bible to the Couiicil of Nice, 17 

books and passages might have been doubted before the decision of 
the Church ; but the Councils of Nice and Trent have shut out all 
controversy for ever. There is no intrinsic difference in weight of 
authority between the deutero-canonical and proto-canonical books 
of both Testaments. Most Protestant denominations follow the 
authority of the Church in determining the canon of the New Testa- 
ment, but appeal from the Church to the Synagogue in establishing 
their canons of the Old Testament. The ancient and Eastern 
Churches are of accord with the Catholic Church. 

QUESTIONS. 

What does Bible mean? State some terms that are applied to the Sacred 
Book ? What was expressed by the division of the Old Testament into the 
Law, the Prophets, and the Hagiographa, or Sacred Writings ? Mention a 
similar division relative to the New Testament ? What do you say of St. 
Jerome's expression," Holy Library"? What is the Bible as a book for 
Christian peoples? What for the Synagogue and Church? Who is now 
the guardian of the Bible, and how? Did the Jews love the Bible? What 
is the decree of the Council of Trent? What books does it set down as 
composing the Bible ? What do you mean by deutero-canonical and proto 
canonical books ? Mention the deutero-canonical books of the Catholic 
Bible? As a rule, how do Protestants construct their Canons? 



CHAPTER II. 

THE BIBLE TO THE COUNCIL OF NICE FROM A.C. 1487 TO A.D. 325. 

On isle of Pharos, by old Egypt's shore. 
The Seventy gathered in the j^ears of yore ; 
In two and seventy days was done their work — 
Jehovah made the Jew's a Grecian's book. 

HE languages which occur in the original composition 
of the Bible are Hebrew, Chaldaic, Syro-Chaldaic, and 
Greek. Hebrew is the language of the Old and Greek 
of the New Testament, with the following exceptions : 
Tobias and Judith, the greater portion of Daniel and Esdras, and 
Jeremias c. x. v. ii., were written in Chaldaic. Wisdom and the 




1 8 The Bible to the Council of Nice. Ja.c. 1487 

J ( A.D. 325 

Second Book of the Machabees were written in Greek. The Gospel 
of St. Matthew was written in Syro-Chaldaic, and is lost, but a trans- 
lation approved by the Church has been preserved, and is of equal 
authority. Some think the Epistle of St. Paul to the Hebrews was 
written in Syro-Chaldaic, and the Gospel of St. Mark in Latin. 

2. The alphabetical characters which were used in writing the 
Hebrew parts of the Bible were the old Hebrew characters which 
occur in the Samaritan Pentateuch. The Hebrew characters which 
are used in our Hebrew Bibles are in reality Chaldaic, and were in- 
troduced after the Babylonian captivity. Uncial or capital letters 
were used in writing the Greek parts. About the beginning of the 
eighth century, cursive or small Greek letters were substituted for 
uncial characters. 

3. The material on which the sacred writings were preserved was 
stone, earth, wood, in very remote times. Afterwards, leaden plates, 
waxen tablets, leather, linen, and papyrus, a kind of Egyptian bul- 
rush, were used. These were superseded by parchment or vellum, 
which Eumenes, King of Pergamos, invented two hundred and fifty 
years before Christ. Paper, at first made of cotton, and after of other 
materials, has been in use about eight hundred years. 

4. The Bible, being a collection of books, was always divided 
into parts according to the authors. The Jews, who divided the 
Old Testament into the Law, the Prophets, and the Hagiographa, 
subdivided the Law mio pa?^ashioih,- or portions, so that, each Sabbath 
having one portion, the whole Law would be read in the Synagogue 
within one year. The subdivisions of the parashioth were called 
siderim, cr orders. This is ascribed to Esdras when he organized 
the Jewish Church and nation after the captivity. During the perse- 
cution of Antiochus Epiphanes, the Prophets were substituted for 
the Law, which was prohibited. The Jiaphioroth, or dismissions, of 
the Prophets corresponded with the parashioth of the Law. But 
upon the victories of the Machabees, and the triumph of the 
Jewish nation, the parashioth of the Law and the haphtoroth of the 
Prophets were read in the Synagogue. The early Christians divided 
the New Testament into titloi^ or titles, and each titlos into smaller 



A.D. '325 f ^^^^ Bible to the Coiiiicil of Nice. 1 9 

sections called keptialaia^ or heads. The best division of titles is that 
of Tatian, a.d. 172 ; the best division of kephalaia is that of Ammo- 
nius, an Alexandrian Christian, who lived in the third century. 
Eiisebius superadded ten very useful Gospel canons. The labors of 
Tatian, Ammonius, and Eusebius, however, extended only to the 
four Gospels, and were generally known as Gospel Harmony. 
Euthalius, Bishop of Sulca, in Egypt, performed in the fifth c'entury 
like services for the Acts and Epistles ; and, in the sixth century, 
Andrew, Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, completed the work by 
dividing the Apocalypse into twenty-four logoi, or lessons. 

5. The Bible has come to us not only in the original tongues, 
but, being translated into other languages, has been transmitted in 
the form of versions. Of these, the oldest, and certainly the most 
important, is the Septuagint Version. It was the=first promulgation 
of the inspired wridngs to the Gentiles, and was a fountain from 
which the Latin Vulgate rose. About two hundred and eighty 
years before Christ, according to the testimony of Aristeas and 
Josephus, Demetrius Phalereus, hbrarian at Alexandria to King Pto- 
lemy Philadelphus, had collected two hundred thousand volumes 
in his library, and was contemplating its increase to five liundred 
thousand. Upon his expressing to the king a wish to have a copy 
of the Jewish Laws, when translated from the Hebrew, he received a 
promise that messengers would be sent to Eleazar, the high-priest at 
Jerusalem. Aristeas, Sosibius, and Andrew, prefects in the king's 
body-guard, and friends of the Jews, procured the liberation of one 
hundred thousand Hebrews, made captive during the wars of the 
preceding reign, that the undertaking might be successful. Eleazar 
received the messengers with the highest respect, and despatched 
seventy-two competent interpreters, six from each tribe, to Ptolemy 
Philadelphus at Alexandria. The king made a profound adoration 
seven times before the sacred books, and admired the manuscript, 
which was written in letters of gold. The interpreters were assigned 
a place by the northern sea-shore of the island of Pharos, and, after 
seventy-two days' labor, according to fixed rules, completed the ver- 
sion. It was handed to King Ptolemy, and copied by his amanu- 



20 The Bible to the Council of Nice. -lA.D.'gss 

enses. It was also read and approved of in the Jewish Synagogue at 
Alexandria. St. Justin martyr says the interpreters were confined in 
separate cells, and produced versions agreeing not only in substance, 
but in words and the number of letters. Philo speaks of the writers 
of the Septuagint as inspired, and adds that it was in such venera- 
tion among the Jews that they went annually to the island of 
Pharos, and held a festival in honor of the inspired translation. 
Origen devoted twenty-eight years (a.d. 231-259) to bringing it 
out in his celebrated Hexapla. It is quoted by our Lord and the 
Apostles, and has always been held in the highest honor by the 
Christian world. Aquila, a Jewish proselyte of Sinope, in Pontus, 
produced a very literal version a.d. 150. Theodotion, an Ebion- 
ite of Ephesus, wrote a translation a.d. 155. Symmachus, a 
Samaritan, made a paraphrase about the year 200. There are other 
partial versions which received the name of fifth, sixth, etc., accord- 
ing to their order in Origen's Enneapla. 

6. The Samaritans possessed a copy of the Pentateuch, whether 
they received it from Manasses, the son-in-law of Sanaballat, or 
whether it remained, after the captivity of the ten tribes, among the 
remnant of the people, or whether it was brought by the priest whom 
Assaradon sent to instruct the people in the ways of the God of Israel. 
It has been carefully preserved, and substantially is a collateral evi- 
dence of the authenticity of Jewish records. The Targums are 
Chaldaic inte7'preiatio?is of the Bible. The Targum of Onkelos on 
the Pentateuch is the best. Its style is pure, and its rendering accu- 
rate. Onkelos was a disciple of Hillel, who died about sixty years 
before Christ. The Targum of Jonathan Ben Uzziel on the Pro- 
phets, the Targum of Pseudo Jonathan, the Jerusalem Targum, the 
Targum of Joseph the Blind, and others of less note, do little jus- 
tice to the sacred books, and are, besides, deteriorated by the 
presence of groundless traditions and Rabbinical fables. The peoples 
of Syria had several versions. The best is the Feshifo, or simple, which 
was made in the time of the Apostle Thaddeus, or probably earlier. 
There was also a Syriac version from the Septuagint, as well as one 
from the Hexapla of Origen. 



Aiuiislsf Co2C7icil of Nice to Council of Trent. 21 

QUESTIONS. 

Which were the original languages of the Bible? In what characters was 
it written? On what kind of material? How did the Jews divide the Law? 
How the Prophets? How was the New Testament divided in the early ages 
of the Church? By Avhom ? Give in your own words the history of ihe 
Septuagint Version. What is the authorit}- o( the Septuagint ? Mention 
some other versions in Greek from the Hexapla of Origen. What versions 
were had by the Chaldeans, Samaritans, and Syrians? 



CHAPTER III. 



HISTORY OF THE BIBLE FROM THE COUNCIL OF NICE (A.D. 325) TO 
THE COUNCIL OF TRENT (a.D. 1 545). 

The Lord to Latium sceptre gave, 

And next the Bible sent ; 
The Vulgate rose by Afric's wave, 

And then to Latium went. 

St. Jerome was the Western seer 

The Bible to refine ; 
And, as great Origen's great peer, 

His labors still outshine. 

}E have mentioned the most precious versions of the 
Bible which appeared in the Eastern Church within the 
three first centuries of Christianity. The Bible was 
translated into Coptic in the era we have mentioned ; 
it was translated into Ethiopic in the fourth century; into Arme- 
nian, by Miesrob, a.d. 410 ; into Gothic, by Bishop Ulphilas, in the 
fifth century ; into Persian in the ninth, and into Arabic in the tenth 
century, A Slavonic or Russian version was made about the middle 
of the ninth century by Cyril and his brother Methodius, Thessa- 
lonicans, missionaries in Bulgaria and Moravia, and inventors of 
the Slavonic alphabet. In the Old Testament, it is a translation of 
the Septuagint ; and in the New, a version from the original Greek. 
It is much praised by scholars, and is pronounced chaste, scholarly, 
and accurate. 




2 2 Council of Nice to Council of Trent. \t^^.{'^^^ 

2. As Christianity spread rapidly, in the early ages of the Church, 
over the Roman Empire, the Scriptures must have been translated 
at a very early period into the Latin language. Indeed, some of 
the Fathers tell us that there was an unUmited number of transla- 
tions. As the Greek language was spoken in Rome and Italy very 
commonly, as the Septuagint was commonly read there, and as the 
Vulgate shows marks of an African birth, it is probable that what is 
known as the Latin Vulgate had its origin in Northern Africa. Any- 
how, it is the bulwark of Western Christianity, and has stamped its 
handwriting on the versions of all modern European nations. There 
was a scholar, whose name was Eusebius Hieronymus, born at 
Stridon, in Dalmatia, in the year 329 after Christ. He lived to the 
age of 91, and died at Bethlehem, near Jerusalem, a.d. 420. With 
deep and comprehensive intellect, with tenacious memory, with un- 
bounded energy and industry, with fervid and unquenchable zeal, he 
approached the '• Holy Library," and spent a long and unwearied 
life of unremitted labors in its study. Origen left the churches of 
Eastern Christianity his Enneapla ; but this Western Origen left the 
sacred books in a purer form in the language of Rome. At the 
request of Pope Damasus, St. Jerome began the revision of the old 
Latin from Greek manuscripts in 383, and extended his labors in 
this field over the whole of the New Testament. He revised the 
Psaltery from Greek manuscripts of the Septuagint, and revised 
probably the remainder of the Old Testament from the Hebrew and 
the Septuagint. He has done more than any one man to perpetuate 
the unadulterated Word of God in the Church. At the request of 
Charlemagne, Alcuin revised the Latin Version in 802. The first 
book printed was the Mazarin Vulgate, in the year 1455. Ximenes 
gave a revised edition of the Latin text, known as the Compluten- 
sian, from a.d. 1502-15 17. Fulfilling the decree of the Council of 
Trent on a revised edition of the text, Sixtus V. issued the Sextine 
Edition in 1590. A revised edition was issued by Clement VIII. in 
1592, another in 1593, and a third in 1598. The last is known as 
the Clementine Edition. Here closes the history of the Vulgate. 
Bede translated the Bible into Saxon in the beginning of the eighth 



A.U. 

A,D. 1545 ) 



lll\ Council of Nice to Council of Trent, 23 



century ; the Bible was translated into Italian by Nicholas Malermi 
in 147 1 ; into Spanish, in 1478; into Pohsh, by order of Queen 
Hedwige, in 1390; into Irish, by Richard Fitz Ralph, in 1347. A 
German translation was printed at Augsburg in 1477. The Bible 
was printed from the French of Father Guyard de Moulins, at Paris, 
in the year 1488. 

3. Before the art of printing was invented, the Bible was preserv- 
ed in manuscripts. All the original manuscripts of all the books of 
the Bible have perished. Nothing remains but copies. Scholars 
commonly classify these copies into three families, called the By- 
zantine, the Alexandrine, and the Western. The most valuable 
manuscripts now in existence are the Codex Vaticanus in Rome, 
which was written in the fourth century ; the Codex Alexandrinus, 
which is, at present, in the Bridsh Museum, was presented by Cyril 
Lucar to Charles the First, and was written in the fourth or fifth 
century; the Codex Regius at Paris, which was written in the fifth 
century. 

4. During the epoch of which we write, the division of the Bible 
into chapters and verses took place. The author was, according to 
some, Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury in the eleventh century; 
according to some, Cardinal Stephen Langton, in the beginning of 
the thirteenth ; and, according to others, Cardinal Hugo de Sancto 
Caro, who lived about the middle of the thirteenth century. Cardi- 
nal Hugo is the author of The Bible Concordance^ by which, if a 
word in a passage be known, the passage may be immediately found 
in the Bible. 

5. Vv^ithin this epoch from the sixth to the tenth century the 
Masorah was developed. The Hebrew text in the days of the Tal- 
mudic period was without vowel points ; the Masorah. or tradition, 
gives the true way of reading and writing the Hebrew. The Maso- 
rets supply vowel sounds, mark correct readings, and have come to 
be regarded as a standard authority on the Hebrew text. Since the 
invention of the art of printing, numerous editions of the Hebrew 
Bible have been issued by Christians and Jews, with and without the 
Masoretic notation. 



24 



Protestant a7td Catholic Bibles. 



A.U. 1582 
A.D. 1611 



QUESTIONS. 

Mention some versions of the Bible made between the Councils of Nice 
and Trent? Where did the Latin Vulgate have its origin ? Give a short 
view of the life and character of St. Jerome? Continue the history of the 
Vulgate to the Clementine Edition of 1798? Mention some versions pub- 
lished in the common languages of Europe before the Reformation? How 
was the Bible preserved before the invention of printing? How were manu- 
scripts divided? Which are the most precious Biblical manuscripts extant? 
What do you know about the book called the Masorah^ and the Masorcts, who 
wrote it ? 



CHAPTER IV. 




PROTESTANT AND CATHOLIC BIBLES. 

A.D. 1582 and 1610 The Douay was by Catholic exiles done ; 

A.D, 1611 A. V. is but a roj^al edict's son. 

The Irish exiles love the Douay's claims, 

The sects adore the Version ot King James. 

HE main difiference between Protestant and Catholic 
Bibles lies in the determination of the canon. Canon 
means a rule or law, and the Scriptural Canon deter- 
mines what books, part of books, paragraphs, sentences, 
clauses, or even words, belong to the sacred text. The canon laid 
down by the Council of Trent unchangeably binds the Catholic 
Church to the end of time ; that is, it cannot suffer diminution or 
change. Were, however, an oecumenical council to add something to 
the canon — for example, the prayer of Man asses — it would possess 
equal authority with those books already declared canonical. A 
council does not decree new truths, but it may impose obligation as 
to old ones. The Church of England regards the deutero-canonical 
books as useful for pious reading, but does not use them as sources 
of doctrine. The Westminster Confession sets them down as human 
writings. 

2. The Catholic Church has sanctioned no version but the Latin 
Vulgate. She is not responsible for the inspiration of any transla- 



A.D. 15a 
A.D. 161 



Protesta7it and Catholic Bibles. 25 



tion into modern languages. An Episcopal approval is a guarantee 
that there is nothing contrary to faith and morals. Notes are used 
to explain the Catholic sense of difficult or doubtful passages. 

3. There were many books which the Church set aside as spurious 
and uncanonical. The Church does not recognize some books of 
Esdras. The Liturgy of Peter, the Liturgy of James, the Liturgy 
of Matthew, the Liturgy of Mark, the Acts of St. Paul and St. 
Thecla, and the Epistles of St. Paul to Seneca and the Church of 
Laodicea are regarded as uncanonical. They were written in great 
part by heretics called Gnostics, 

4. In passages where Protestant and Catholic translators disagree? 
and where the Church has not spoken, the truth or the excellence 
of translation must be determined by the laws of grammar, herme- 
neutics, and taste, 

5. The two great Protestant translations of the Bible are those of 
Luther in German, and the Authorized Version in English. Luther 
translated the Scriptures from the original text, but drew in a marked 
manner for assistance on the Latin Vulgate. His German is pure, 
but his translation erroneous. He completed his work in the year 
1532. In the year 1604, King James appointed a commission of 
fifty-four to translate the Bible. The commission was divided into 
six companies, and the work into six parts, a part being assigned to 
each company. Every member translated the whole part assigned 
his company, and, when the company agreed, its work was sent 
for revision to all the other companies. The whole work was revised 
by a committee of six. It was afterwards revised by Dr. Smith and 
Dr. Bilson. The translation was commenced in 1607, and published 
in i6ii. The EngHsh is regarded as highly grammatical, but at 
present rather quaint. Ward has written a book on its errors. 

6. There is a Catholic English translation which was made from 
the Vulgate by Dr. Gregory Martin, assisted by William (after Car- 
dinal) Allen, Dr. Richard Bristow, and Dr. William Reynolds. 
The New Testament was published at Rheims in 1582, and the Old 
Testament at Douay in 1 609-1 610. It was revised by Dr. Chal- 
loner in 1750 This version is praised by no less an authority than 



26 Religious Denominations and the Bible, 

Bacon. Cardinal Wiseman and- some English converts were contem- 
plating a new version, ?f they obtained the authoritative approval of 
the Holy See. 

QUESTIONS. 

In what does the main difference lie between Protestant and Catholic 
Bibles? What is the position of the Church towards translations? Men- 
tion some books that laid claim to inspiration ? What do you say of Lu- 
ther's Bible? What do you know about King James's Bible? By whom 
was the English Catholic Bible translated, and by whom revised? 




CHAPTER V. 

RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS AND THE BIBLE. 

Without the Church the Bible is of man, 
But with the Church it is of God. 
The Bible's title from the Church began, 
Christ placed it 'neath the Church's nod. 

HE Jewish people were always noted for the love they 
cherished towards the sacred writings. In Machabees 
(b. ii. c. viii., v. 23), we see how Eleazar read the ' Holy 
^ Book ' before battle, and gave as the battle-cry his own 
name, Eleazar, or ' Help of God.' The tenacity with which they pre- 
served the Bible during the persecution of Antiochus is equalled only 
by the fortitude of the Christians in the reign of Diocletian. The 
Jewish Canon contains only the proto-canonical bocks of the Old 
Testament. 

2. Protestant Churches admit the inspiration of the Bible, and 
declare its all-sufficiency to obtain salvation. Bible interpretation is 
left to private judgment, and private judgment receives its amount 
of importance from the reasons on which it rests. 

3. Infidels look on the Bible as an accumulation of myths, fables, 
superstitious narratives, and absurdities. They think that the legis- 
lation of Moses was fit only for a barbarous people, and they refuse 
to believe in the history of Jesus Christ. 



Religious De^wminations and the Bible. 27 

4. Rationalists profess to examine the Bible in the light of reason. 
What is supernatural they endeavor to explain by natural means, 
what is mysterious they try to interpret by natural light, what is 
incomprehensible they dismiss as hyperbolical or figurative, or reject 
as incredible and absurd. The rationahsts are undermining the 
Protestant Churches, so that the only foes who know how to 
grapple with each other. Reason and Revelation, or Natural and 
Revealed religion, are coming into close combat. 

5. The Churches of Eastern Christianity still hold on to the doc- 
trine of authority. In the early part of the seventeenth century, 
Cyril Lucar, Patriarch of Constantinople, endeavored to form a 
union with the Calvinists. In the year 1642, Cyril was condemned 
in a council at Constantinople by Parthenius, his successor. The 
judgment of Parthenius was affirmed at Pera on the i8th of July, by 
seven archbishops of the Greek Church. Dositheus, Patriarch of 
Jerusalem, reaffirmed in council at Jerusalem the doctrine of Pera 
in the following year. 

6. The Catholic Church, which is "the pillar and the ground of 
truth," has always maintained its right to preserve, determine, and 
interpret sacred Scriptures. Some books it has not admitted into 
the Canon, such as the Apocalypse of Moses, the Prayer of Moses, 
and the Writings of the Gnostics in the early ages of Christianity. In 
other cases where there was a doubt, as in that of the deutero-canonical 
books, she has exercised her authority, and admitted some into the 
Canon. The third and fourth of Esdras and the Prayer of Manasses 
she has not admitted. Where the original was lost, as in the case of 
Matthew's Gospel, and, it may be, St. Paul's Epistles to the Hebrews, 
she has raised a translation to the rank and canonical weight of the 
original. 

7. The Church is the treasury in which God has deposited His 
revealed truth. A portion of this the founders of Christianity com- 
mitted to writing when the occasion demanded it. St. Paul wrote 
to the Romans to settle a dispute which arose between the Jews 
and Gentiles that were received into the Church. It was never the 
intention of any inspired writer in the New Testament to contribute 



28 Religious Denomiitations and the Bible, 

his writings as a fraction of an integer which was to be the Bible» 
The Church, however, preserved the inspired records, and from 
them formed the Bible. 

8. She has, besides, many truths which she received from the Apos- 
tles, and which the Holy Spirit has preserved. Our Lord delivered 
the truths of His revelation to the Apostles, the Apostles to their suc- 
cessors, and so on. The successors committed these truths, although 
unwritten in the Bible, to writing, had them illustrated in paintings, 
gave them effect in the practices and history of the Church. From 
them the Church can infallibly propose doctrines on faith and 
morals to her children. She knows them from the Redeemer by 
tradition. The Church is the teacher of all truth, Scriptural and 
Traditional. 

9. Christ sent His Apostles to teach, and not to write. Christ 
had ascended into heaven eight years before the first word of the 
New Testament was written, and sixty-five years before the last 
book was completed. During all that time, martyrs died, confessors 
suffered, heathens were converted, and souls passed to heaven. 
Were there no Bible completed to the end of the second century, 
the Church could have gone on doing her work without it, as she 
did from the ascension of Christ, a.d. 34, to a.d. 41, when Matthew 
wrote, or a.d. 98, when John wrote. The Bible rests on the 
Church, not the Church on the Bible. Hence the saying of St. 
Augustine : " I would not believe the foui; Gospels, were I not 
moved to it by the Church." 

10. Without an infalHble Church, it is impossible to elevate the 
Bible to the rank of a divine book. Granted that, by historical 
criteria, we can show the Gospels to be genuine histories ; granted 
that, by the Gospels, we may establish the divinity of Christ, and 
even the inspiration of the sacred writers, there is no evidence, 
except historical, that the books we have are the same in all their 
parts as those which were written by the inspired writers. No his- 
torical evidence can exclude glosses, interpolations, corruptions, 
mutilations, and changes in the sacred text. The Bible is still only 
a book resting on human authority. But if the Bible be translated 



Religious Denominations a^id the Bible, 29 

out of the original tongues, where is the guarantee that it is not a 
human book ? Who can tell, except an infallible Church, whether the 
Pentateuch of King James' Bible correctly mirrors the mind of 
Moses ? Without a living infallible Church, there is always one 
link wanting in the chain of evidence to prove the Bible a divine 
book. 

II. The Catholic position is this : according to historical criteria, 
we can show the Bible to be historically true. The Bible being 
historically true, we can show Jesus Christ to be God. Jesus Christ 
being God, we can show the Catholic Church to be infallible. The 
CathoHc Church being infallible, we can show the Bible to have 
been inspired and to have remained incorrupt. First, we take the 
Bible books as historical documents ; next, the divinity of Christ ; 
next, the infalhbiHty of the Church ; and, lastly, the Bible as in- 
spired and, at present, a divine book. We start from the Bible as 
an historical work and a human book, and through Christ and the 
Catholic Church we elevate it to be an inspired work and a divine 
book. 

QUESTIONS. 

What have been the relations of the Jews to the Bible? How do Pro- 
testant Churches look on the Bible? What is the view of infidels? How 
do rationalists regard the Bible? What- is the position of the Eastern 
Churches? What is the position of the Catholic Church? Give some exam- 
ples. Were the books of the Bible written according to a uniform plan, or 
produced as occasion demanded? Has the Church received any truths 
from Christ not recorded in the Bible ^ Has the Bible preceded the Church, 
or the Church the Bible, in point of time? Why is it impossible to elevate 
the Bible to the rank of a divine book without an infallible Church ? What 
is the position of the Catholic Church? 



SECTION II. 



HISTORIANS OF THE BIBLE, 



CHAPTER VL 

MOSES, THE FIRST BIBLE HISTORIAN. 

To Genesis and Exodus, 
With Numbers and Leviticus, 
Add Deuteronomy— this book 
Is Moses' Pentateuch. 

Three forty-years make Moses' life: 
The first in Egypt, next in Araby, 
The last he spent in the wide wastes 
That lie 'twixt Jewry and the sea. 

"With mighty mind and wondrous power 
God graced this prophet, ruler, seer ; 
Nor did the Jews his equal see. 
Till Christ, the Silo, did appear. 

EFORE we proceed to give the history 
of God's people under both dispen- 
sations, we shall speak in this section 
of the sacred authors who committed 
it to writing. The earliest authentic 
history extant, whether sacred or pro- 
fane, is the Pentateuch of Moses. The 
Mantras, or the oldest parts of the 
Vedas, which were probably written in 
the fourteenth century before Christ, 
The Zend Avesta, of a later date, is 
a philosophical disquisition on the origin of things. The writings 
of Confucius do not run higher than the sixth century before 




are only sentimental songs, 



Moses, the first Bible Historian, 3 1 

Christ; and the Yih-King, the oldest Chinese book, though of 
high antiquity, is of uncertain date, and is but a jumble of cos- 
mological essays and ethical philosophy (Hard wick). The Pen- 
tateuch is an authentic history of a religious nature. Pentateuch 
means " a fivefold book" — a name and division it probably received 
from the Septuagint translators. Its parts are Genesis, Exodus, 
Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Jews called the whole 
Torah, or the Law. Besides the division into parashioth and sedarim, 
they divided the Law into 248 affirmative and 365 negative precepts, 
as the Rabbins ascribed 248 anatomical parts to the human body, 
and as there are 365 days in a year. Tlie Jews were accustomed to 
wear a piece of cloth four square, so formed as to be an emblem of 
the 613 precepts they were bound to observe. 

2. Genesis, or the creation, is the first book of the Pentateuch. As 
far as the end of the eleventh chapter, it is a history of the world ; from 
that point to the end, it is a history of the fathers of the Jewish race. 

3. Exodus, or the departure, shows the enslavement of God's jdco- 
ple in Egypt, their liberation from bondage, and the solemn institu- 
tion of Jewish government at Mount Sinai. 

4. Leviticus, called also " Law of Priests" and "Law of Offerings," 
lays down the laws on sacrifices, gives the history of Aaron's conse- 
cration, states the laws on purity and impurity, the laws of separation 
between Israel and heathen nations, the "laws on priests and fes- 
tivals, and winds up with threats, promises, and an appendix on 
vows. 

5. Numbers, the fourth book of the Pentateuch, takes its name 
from 'the numbering of the Hebrew people. It contains an account 
of the departure of the Jewish people from Mount Sinai, of their 
journey to the borders of Chanaan, of their wanderings in the wilder- 
ness, and of their arrival in " the plains of Moab by the Jordan, near 
Jericho." 

6. Deuteronomy, or a repetition of the law, consists of three dis- 
courses delivered by Moses. They are recapitulations of the history 
of the Israelites, of the delivery of the Law at Mount Sinai, and of 
the blessings consequent on the observance of the Law, together with 



Moses, the first Bible Historian, -^'^ 

the curses that shall follow its violation. It also contains the Song 
of Moses, the Blessing of Moses, and an account of his death. 
Some say Moses wrote beforehand the account of his death, but it 
was probably added by Josue. 

7. These five parts are not fragments loosely sew-i together, but 
they bear internal evidence of a uniform and consistently executed 
design. In Genesis, we mark the prepara-tion for a " chosen priest- 
hood and a holy nation"; in Exodus and Leviticus^ we see the 
fulfilment ; and in Numbers and Deuteronomy, we behold God 
dealing with the Jewish nation in the early stages of its existence. 

8. The style of the Pentateuch is simple and unaffected; the 
thoughts clear and natural; the conceptions at times magnificent and 
sublime. The author was possessed of great historical candor, a 
wide knowledge of human nature, and a wild, enrapturing imagina- 
tion. He is described by Longinus on '•' The Sublime " as no mean 
writer. The song of triumph over Pharao is praised by all critics. 
Some of the Psalms are ascribed to the author of the Penta- 
teuch. 

9. Notwithstanding the cavils of some modern critics, Moses was 
unquestionably the writer of the Pentateuch. Manetho says Moses 
was a native of Heliopolis in Egypt when the Jews were in the depth 
of bondage. He was born without the knowledge of the Egyptian 
midwives, and was concealed by his mother for three months. The 
mother was anxious to preserve him from the general destruction of 
the male children of Israel. At length, she placed him in a^basket of 
papyrus closed with bitumen amid the bulrushes of the Nile, and 
left his sister to watch his fate. Merrhis, an Egyptian princess, 
discovered it as she was going to bathe, and, having rescued it from 
the waters {AIo is water in Coptic, and Ushe saved), adopted it as 
her child, Moses. Moses, refusing when a child the milk of Egyp- 
tian nurses, was nursed by his own mother, and was afterwards 
educated at Heliopolis as a priest. He was learned in all the 
learning of the Egyptians, Chaldeans, Greeks, and Assyrians. He 
was skilled in mathematics. " He invented," says Artapanus, 
" boats and engines for building, instruments of war and of hydrau- 



j4 Moses, the ^rst Bible Historian. 

lies, hieroglyphics, division of land." The Egyptian tradition states 
that he captured Saba, the capital of Ethiopia, and caUed it Meroe, 
after his adopted mother Merrhis. He is said to have returned 
with Tharbis, the daughter of the Ethigpian king, as his wife. 

10. His love for the Israelites was the cause of continual vexa- 
tions between him and the Egyptians. There are accounts of 
many attempts to assassinate Moses. One day, seeing an Egyptian 
persecuting an Israelite, he slew the Egyptian, buried him in the 
sand, and fled to Arabia. Espousing at a well the cause of seven 
maidens against some shepherds, he became the guest of Jethro, an 
Arab " sheykh." He afterwards married Sephora, the daughter of 
Jethro the Cinite, and Hved in Arabia forty years. He was then 
called by God, and was for forty years the prophet, leader, law- 
giver, and historian of God's people. These years belong to Jewish 
history. 

11. Forty years in Egypt gave Moses a knowledge of the arts, 
sciences, laws, and requirements necessary to direct a newly formed 
nation ; forty years in Arabia gave him a knowledge of the desert, 
afterwards so useful in conducting God's people. Thus God pre- 
pares men to accomplish the destinies He has in view. 

12. As a prophet, Moses was the forerunner and figure of Christ. 
As a law-maker, he was the antitype of Christ. As a leader, 
he was an image of Christ leading God's people to the heavenly 
Jerusalem. 

13. Josephus writes the character of Moses thus : " Moses was 
one that exceeded all men that ever were in understanding, and 
made the best use of what that understanding suggested to him. 
He had a very graceful way of speaking and addressing himself to 
the multitude ; and, as to his other qualifications, he had such a 
command of his passions as if he had hardly any such in his soul, 
and only knew them by their names, as rather perceiving them in 
other men than in himself. He was also such a general of an army 
as is seldom seen, as well as such a prophet as was never known, 
and this to. such a degree that, whatever he pronounced, you would 
think you heard the voice of God Himself." 



Josue, Samuel, a7id the Prophets. 35 

QUESTIONS. 

What is the Pentateuch? How is it divided? What does Genesis con- 
tain? What Exodus? What Leviticus? What Numbers? What Deu- 
teronomy? What is the plan of the Pentateuch? What is the style of 
writing in the Pentateuch? Give in your own words the early life of 
Moses? What caused Moses to flee away from Egypt? What do you know 
about Moses in Arabia? What lesson do you see in the wanderings of 
Moses? How did Moses prefigure Christ? Give the character of Moses 
according to Josephus? 



CHAPTER VII. 

JOSUE, SAMUEL, AND THE PROPHETS. 

Dark Jordan's stream, the setting sun. 

The walls of Jericho, 
Obey brave Josue's command, 

And nature's laws forego. 

The Chanaanites, in battle crushed, 

Are strewn a prostrate band ; 
And, withered like December leaves. 

Yield up the Promised Land. 

Brave Josue, the Hebrew chief, 

His book for Israel wrote. 
To mark the lines that bound the Tribes, 

The fights where Juda smote. 

_HE next historian in the Bible after Moses is Josue. His- 
name signifies " God the Saviour ^ He was born of 
Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, about forty years before 
the exodus of the Israehtes. He worked as a slave in 
the brick-fields of Egypt. After the exodus, he became the minis- 
ter, servant, and successor of Moses. As such his history is connected 
with that of the Jewish nation, 

2. He wrote a book which bears his name, and has never been dis- 
puted as belonging to the inspired writings : " And he wrote all these- 
things in the volume of the Law of the Lord" (Jos. c. xxiv. v. 26). 
It is a supplement to the Pentateuch, and describes the settlement: 
of the Jews in the Promised Land. 




3^ Josue, Samuel, and the Prophets. 

3. The first twelve chapters describe the conquest of Chanaan : 
how he prepared for war, how he crossed the Jordan, how he con- 
quered Jericho, the South, and the North. Next follow the distribu- 
tion of the land among the twelve tribes, the appointment of six 
cities of refuge, the assignment of forty-eight cities to Levi, and the 
return of Ruben, Gad, and half Manasses beyond the Jordan. Two 
addresses by Josue to the people, and a description of his death at 
the age of no years, conclude the book. 

4. The character of Josue has been frequently attacked as that of a 
■savage and merciless man; but we must remember that Josue was an 
instrument in the hand of God to chastise the sinful nations of Chanaan, 
and that it was better the guilty should be exterminated than the 
pure corrupted, and the cause of God's truth suffer for all time. 

5. Samuel, the " name of God," or the '' asked of God," is the 
next in order of the Bible historians. He was born in the hills of 
Ephraim, of an Ephrathite, Elcana, and his wife Anna. Anna, who 
led an austere life, and was a prophetess in gifts, had long besought 
Jehovah to grant her a son. His parents consecrated Samuel to the 
Lord at Silo, by offering in sacrifice a bullock of three years old, 
loaves, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. Samuel was placed 
under the care of Heli, the High-Priest. His dress was an ephod 
made of white linen, and a garment reaching down to his feet, which 
his mother brought him every year. He slept in the HoHest Place ; 
and his duty was to put out the sacred candlestick, and open the 
door at sunrise. While in this office, he was called by the Lord to 
be a prophet and director of the Jewish people's destiny. 

6. The call of Samuel in the sacred narrative is very simple and 
instructive (i Kings, chap, iii., v. 2-14) : " And it came to pass one 
day when Heli lay in his place, and his eyes were grown dim, that 
he could not see : before the lamp of God went out, Samuel slept 
in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. And the 
Lord called Samuel. And he answered : Here am I. And he ran 
to Heli and said : Here am I : for thou didst call me. He said: I 
did not call : go back and sleep. And he went and slept. And 
the Lord called Samuel again. And Samuel arose and went to 



Josue, Samuel, and the Prophets. 



d/ 



Heli, and said : Here am I : for thou calledst me. He answered : I 
did not call thee my son : return and sleep. Now Samuel did not 
yet know .the Lord, neither had the word of the Lord been revealed 
to him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he 
rose up and went to Heli, and said : Here am I : for thou didst call 
me. Then Heli understood that the Lord called the child, and he 
said to Samuel : Go, and sleep : and if He shall call thee any more, 
thou shalt say : Speak Lord, for Thy servant heareth. So Samuel 
went and slept in his place. And the Lord came, and stood : and 
He called, as He had called the other times, Samuel, Samuel. And 
Samuel answered : Speak Lord, for Thy servant heareth. And the 
Lord said to Samuel : Behold I do a thing in Israel : and whoso- 
ever shall hear it, both his ears shall tingle. In that day I v/ill 
raise up against Heli all the things I have spoken concerning his 
house : I will begin, and I will make an end. For I have foretold 
unto him that I will judge his house for ever, for iniquity, because 
he knew that his sons .did wickedly, and did not chastise them. 
Therefore have I sworn to the house of Heli, that the iniquity of 
his house shall not be expiated with victims nor offerings for ever." 
7. Samuel wrote the Book of Judges. The Jews set down one 
book to his name, which the Vulgate divides into two. With Chris- 
tians they are known as the First and Second Books of Kings. The 
authorship of the Book of Ruth is ascribed to Samuel. As there has 
been so much question about the writers of the historical books of 
the Bible from Samuel to Esdras, I shall set down the words of the 
Talmud : '• Who wrote the books of the Bible ? Moses wrote his 
own book, the Pentateuch, the section about Balaam, and Job. Josue 
wrote his own book and the eight last verses of the Pentateuch. 
Samuel wrote his own book, the Book of Judges, and Ruth. David 
wrote the Book of Psalms, of which, however, some were composed 
by the ten venerable elders, Adam, the first man, Melchisedech, 
Abraham, Moses, Heman, Idithun, Asaph, and the three sons of 
Core. Jeremias wrote his own book, the Book of Kings, and Lam- 
entations. . . . Esdras wrote his own book, and brought down 
the Book of Chronicles to his own times. . . . Who brought the 



3^ Esdras, Ne hernias, and Writers of Machabees, 

remainder of the books to a close ? Nehemias, the son of Hel- 
chias." 

8. The names of Nathan, Gad, Addo, Jeremias, Jehu, and others, 
are mentioned as historical writers in the Bible. Samuel probably 
wrote the history of the Kings to his own time ; the remainder 
of their history, together with Paralipomena, was supplied by the 
prophets who succeeded him. 

QUESTIONS. 

Who was Josue, and what did he write ? Give the substance of the Book 
of Josue ? What do you say of the character of Josue ? Give the history of 
Samuel? Give the call of Samuel as described in the sacred narrative? 
What book did Samuel write? Who are the authors of the sacred books 
on the authority of the Talmud? What historical writers are mentioned 
between Samuel and Esdras? What is the probable opinion about them? 



CHAPTER VIII. 




ESDRAS, NEHEMIAS, AND THE WRITERS OF MACHABEES. 

In Books of Judges, Chronicles, and Kings, 
The Holy Spirit through the prophets sings ; 
First pious Samuel the Spirit fired, 
Then Nathan, Addo, Jehu, Gad, inspired. 

|SDRAS, that is, Help, is one of the most conspicuous cha- 
racters in Jewish history. Esdras was descended from 
Helcias, the high-priest of Josias's reign. He obtained 
leave from Artaxerxes Longimanus, in the seventh year 
of his reign, to return to Jerusalem with such of his countrymen as 
wished to accompany him. After a journey of four months, Esdras 
and his companions arrived at Jerusalem, bringing gold, silver, pre- 
cious vessels, and many cosdy free-will offerings. His mission was 
to establish the law of Moses in Jerusalem, and remove the abuses 
that had arisen during the captivity of the Jews. 

2. Esdras made void the marriages which Jews had contracted 
with Gentiles. He estabHshed the great synagogue. Daniel, Ag- 
geus, Nehemias, Zacharias, Malachias, g.nd other celebrated men, 



Esdras, Nehemias, and Writers of Machabees. 39 

were said to be members under the presidency of Esdras. Esdras 
revised and corrected the books of the Bible. The Jewish canon is 
said to have been determined by him. Some mention him as the 
author of the Masorah, and some ascribe the Cabala to him. Under 
his presidency, the old Hebrew characters were superseded by the 
Chaldaic. According to Jewish accounts, Esdras appears to be a 
second Moses. He was undoubtedly a great reformer, and an emi- 
nent Jewish patriot. 

3. Esdras wrote the book which bears his name. It covers a 
period of eighty years, and extends over the reigns of Cyrus, Cam- 
byses, Smerdis, Darius Hystaspis, Xerxes, and part of Artaxerxes. 
It abounds in Chaldaic expressions. Some set down Esdras as the 
author of Chronicles, Esther, and Nehemias. He is styled a " read)* 
scribe in the law of Moses." St. Augustine says, " He is a historian 
rather than a prophet." According to Josephus, he died an old man, 
and was buried in a magnificent manner at Jerusalem. 

4. Nehemias, the " consoled of God," was a priest of the seed 
of David. He was cup-bearer to King Artaxerxes, and, with that 
monarch's permission, left his lucrative office at the Persian court to 
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemias wrote the Second Book 
of Esdras, or, as it is also called, the Book of Nehemias. The com- 
mission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem was issued in the twentieth 
year of the reign of Artaxerxes. The events described in the Book 
of Nehemias cover a space of twelve years. 

5. The bock is a very valuable document of contemporaneous 
history. In it we see the rise of two religious parties — the one, 
strictly Mosaic, headed by Nehemias, and the other, gentilizing, led 
by Eliasib, the High-Priest. It shows the intense and rising hos- 
tility then springing up between the Jews and Samaritans. We learn 
of the existence of usury, of slavery, of corporal punishment, of a 
Jewish tendency to intermarry with the heathens, and of the danger 
the Jewish language stood in of being corrupted. We notice what a 
revival was effected by Esdras and Nehemias ; how the priests and 
Levites were maintained, how services were regularly performed in 
the Temple, how the sacred books were collected into one vclume 




-s^ 



s^ 



- s 






Esdras, Nehemias^ and Writers of Machabees. 41 

and read for the people, and how God's people began to rise in 
literature, prosperity, and independence. Nehemias held a splendid 
office in the first court of the world. He sought out the city and 
sepulchres of his fathers that lay in ashes. Amid trials and suffering, 
surrounded by false friends, and beset by secret enemies, and after 
many years of doubt and distress, he rebuilt and solemnly dedicated 
the walls of Jerusalem, restored its public places, and imparted to it 
a new life. He has been deservedly set down as one of the greatest 
and most disinterested of Jewish leaders and benefactors. 

6. The last historical books of the Old Testament are those known 
by the name of Machabees. They are not admitted into the Jewish 
or Protestant Canon. They a.re, however, found in the Canon of 
the Christian Church. The Council of Trent has sanctioned the 
First and Second as deutero-canonical. There are five books of the 
Machabees. We shall speak of the First and Second only. 

7. The authors of these books are uncertain. Hyrcan is men- 
tioned as the writer of the First, and Jason as the author of the Second. 
Sonie say that the Second is an epitome of five books which Jason 
wrote. 

8. The First Book, setting out with an account of Alexander, 
shows how the Jews rebelled under Mathathias against Antiochus 
Epiphanes. The remainder, or body of the book, is divided into 
the various fortunes which attended the resistance of the Jews under 
Mathathias, Judas, Jonathan, Simon, and John Hyrcanus. Its con- 
tents extend from 168 to 106 before Christ. St. Jerome says he 
saw a copy of it in Hebrew. It is one of the best written books in 
the Bible. 

9. The Second Book opens with the history of the Jewish people 
about 180 years before Christ. The opening portion of the book 
is devoted to epistles, and the latter has the appearance of an 
abridgement. It was written in Greek, and has a close affinity in its 
expressions to the language of the Septuagint. 

10. The Second Book of Machabees closes the historical books 
of the Old Testament. The principal writers are Moses, Josue, 
Samuel, Esdras, and Nehemias. There are three breaks in the 



42 Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 

Bible narrative. The first begins with the captivity of Jerusalem, a.c. 
606, and closes with the first of the four edicts issued by the mon- 
archs of Persia for the restoration of the Jews. The second begins 
with the close of the Hebrew return from Babylon, and ends with 
the opening of Jewish history in the Second Book of Machabees 
about 180 before Christ. The third begins with the independence 
of the Jews under Hyrcan about 106 before Christ, and ends with 
the announcement of John the Baptist, the Precursor of Jesus 
Christ. 

QUESTIONS. 
What do you know about Esdras ? What did Esdras do on his advent to 
Jerusalem ? What books did Esdras write? What is known of Nehemias? 
What do we learn fiom the Book of Nehemias? What is the character of 
Nehemias? What books of the Machabees are canonical? Who are the 
accredited authors? What are the contents of the First Book? What do 
you say of the Second Book ? Who are the principal writers of the histori- 
cal books of the Old Testament? What are the breaks which occur in the 
Scripture narrative ? 



CHAPTER IX. 

MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE, AND JOHN. 

Four marks the four Evangelists declare — 
Matthew is seen beneath the illuming dove ; 

The lion shows Saint Mark, the ox Saint Luke, 
The eagle wafts Saint John to realms above. 

|HE four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles are the 
historical books of the New Testament. Evangel means 
good news • and Gospel, God's 7uoj'd or message. The 
four Gospels are independent histories of the life of 
Jesus Christ. They were written after the Ascension of our Lord, 
and within the first century of the Christian era. The Gospel of St. 
John was written nearly half a century after the others, and supplies 
many things in the life of Jesus that are omitted in the other three. 
Let us divide the other three Gospels into 89 paragraphs. Of these, 




\ 



Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 43 

42 will contain the same historical subject in Matthew, Mark, and 
Luke; Matthew and Mark only will coincide in 12 more; Matthew 
and Luke only in 14; Mark and Luke only ni 5 ; Matthew only will 
have 5 more peculiar, Mark 2, and Luke 9. 

2. These Gospels are genuine historical documents. In the first 
place, they have all the internal evidences of truth that any historical 
writings can possess. Then, they have been known and cited by the 
Fathers of the Church all along from the first century. They are quoted 
from by the Apostolic Fathers and by the writers of the second 
and third centuries; they have been solemnly sanctioned in councils ; 
they have been received by all Christian nations. Again, heretical 
sects from the beginning have recognized them as authentic. In the 
very early ages of the Church, they were admitted by the Gnostics 
and Marcionites. Lastly, the enemies of the Christian name have 
acknowledged the Gospels to be genuine, though they rejected their 
contents. There is no fact that can be more satisfactorily established 
than the historic genuineness of the Gospels. 

3. The first Gospel was written by Matthew, or Levi, the son of 
Alpheus. Matthew is a contraction of Mathathias, the Gift of God. 
Matthew was called from being a publican to be an apostle of Christ. 
His Gospel was written in the Syro-Chaldaic language after he had 
preached to the Hebrews, and before he set out for other nations. It 
is said to have been written eight years after the Ascension of Christ. 
It was composed in Palestine, and was translated into Greek in the 
time of the apostles. The Greek version has taken the place of the 
original, which is lost. Matthew's Gospel abounds in Hebrew forms of 
expression. Its main object is to show to the Jews that the prophecies 
of the Old Testament were fulfilled in the person of Christ. Christ 
was the Son of David, of the seed of Abraham ; Christ was born of 
a virgin, in David's city, Bethlehem ; Christ had a forerunner in John 
the Baptist ; Christ was called out of Egypt ; Christ entered Jerusa- 
lem riding on an ass ; Christ was rejected by His people and aban- 
doned by His disciples ; Christ taught in parables, and worked 
miracles. These are mentioned in St. Matthew's Gospel as marks 
of the Messias. St. Matthew wrote as an eye-witness. 



Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 45 

4. The second Gospel was written by St. Mark, the disciple and 
interpreter ot St. Peter. The language was Greek, the place of writ- 
ing Rome, and the date ten years after the ascension of our Lord. 
It abounds in Latin words, and explains Hebrew expressions. The 
style can scarcely be called elegant, but it is vigorous, vivid, and 
expressive. The object of the Gospel is to present the earthly life 
of Christ to the Gentiles. St. Mark wrote from the testimony of St. 
Peter. 

5. The third Gospel was written by St. Luke, the disciple and 
companion of St. Paul, who had been a physician at Antioch. The 
expression of St. Paul, " according to my gospel " (Ep. to the Rom.), 
is supposed to refer to the Gospel of St. Luke. The Gospel was 
written in Achaia, in the Greek language, about twenty-four years 
after the Ascension of Jesus Christ. St. Luke is the most classical 
of all the New Testament writers. St. Luke is the writer of 
the Acts of the Apostles, which show the workings of the Church 
after the death of Christ, and constitute the last historical book among 
the inspired writings. St. Luke wrote his Gospel according to the 
testimony of them that were eye-witnesses and ministers of the Word 
from the beginning. 

6. The fourth Gospel was written by St. John, " the beloved dis- 
ciple of our Lord," at Ephesus, in Asia Minor, about sixty-five years 
after the Ascension. The language was the Greek. It was written 
partly to supplement the three other Gospels, partly to confute the 
Cerinthians and other heretics, and partly to assert the divinity of 
Jesus Christ. The opening of St. John's Gospel is wonderfully sub- 
lime. The Gospel itself gives an account of eight journeys of Jesus 
Christ, and, after giving a narratwe of his Crucifixion and Resurrec- 
tion, concludes by stating: "But there are also many other things 
which Jesus did: w^hich if they were written every one, the world 
itself, I think, would not be able to contain the books that should be 
written" (John xxi. 25). 

7. There is something amiable and elevated in the writings of St. 
John — a clear intuition of high and heavenly truths, a gentle, burning 
love, and an. unearthly fragrance. St. John wrote three Epistles and 




^ 









Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 47 

the Apocalypse besides his Gospel. As a writer of the Gospel, he is 
an Evangelist ;■ as a writer of the Epistles, he is an Elder and a 
Father; and as a writer of the Apocalypse, he is a grand and myste- 
rious prophet. 

8. There is an amiability and attraction about the character and 
old age of St. John. His love for Jesus, his being the disciple whom 
Jesus loved, his reclining on the breast of Jesus, his being appointed 
to the place of Jesus towards the Blessed Virgin during the Cruci- 
fixion, mark him among the disciples as the apostle of exalted love. 
Tradition tells how he labored to lift the fallen ; how, when he was 
no longer able to preach in his old age, he always exhorted men to 
love one another; how he wore a plate of gold on his forehead, with 
the sacred name of Jehovah engraven on it; how he raised the dead 
to life ; how he destroyed the temple of Artemis at Ephesus ; how, 
without dying, he drank hemlock ; how he emerged from a caldron of 
boiling oil; how, at length, in an extreme old age of over one hun- 
dred years, he ordered his sepulchre to be constructed, and, when it 
was done, calmly placed himself down on it, and died. St. John was 
an eye-witness of the facts recorded in his writings. 

QUESTIONS. 

Which are the historical books of the New Testament? What is meant 
by Evangel? What b}' Gospel ? Which are the four Gospels? When writ- 
ten? Which was the latest? What is the harmony between the Gospels of 
Matthew, Mark, and Luke? On what grounds are the Gospels genuine his- 
torical documents? Who was Matthew, or Levi, the writer of the first Gos- 
pel? When, where, in what language, and with what design was Matthew's 
Gospel written? State some Messianic allusions that apply to Christ. Give 
the writer, date, place of writing, language, style, and object of the second 
Gospel. State in your own words what you know about St. Luke and his 
writings. When, where, by whom, and in what language was the fourth 
Gospel written? What was its object? What are its contents? What do 
you think of the writings of St. John ? What writings make him an Evangel- 
ist? What writings represent him as an Elder and a Father? What pro- 
phetical book did he write? What is the traditional character of St. John in 
his old age ? • 




48 Characteristics of Bible Historians, 

CHAPTER X. 

CHARACTERISTICS OF BIBLE HISTORIANS. 

The Bible History behold ! 

Sublime simplicity, 
Truth, light, and candor pure as gold, 

Are joined with probity. 

The Spirit's voice through ages sounds, 

And works its mighty way, 
And guards the Bible in its rounds. 

Vain man ! that voice obey. 

|HE first and most important quality a historian should 
possess is a love of truth. He should have abundant 
means of arriving at a full knowledge of the truth, and 
so communicate it as to exclude the intermixture of 
error. The historian should be in such a position as to learn, on 
sound authority, the facts he commits to writing. He should neither 
allow himself to be deceived nor deceive those whom he instructs. 
Now, the Bible historians, from Moses to St. John, were nearly all 
eye-witnesses and partakers in the history which they relate. Where 
they were not eye-witnesses, they were either informed by eye- 
witnesses or received their information on unquestionable testimony. 
2. Freedom from prejudice and from fear is essential to a histo- 
rian ; for prejudice disfigures, and fear withholds, the, truth. The Bible 
historians were men without prejudice and without fear. They 
espoused the cause on which they wrote against all worldly induce- 
ments. No honors could be a motive, for they sought degradation, 
and became the outcasts of society; no * pleasures,- for they prac- 
tised self-renunciation, and died a daily death; neither ambition, 
nor wealth, nor power, for they braved the prejudices of rulers and 
of nations. Moses left the splendors of Egypt ; Josue survived a 
generation because he was faithful to the truth ; Samuel and the 
prophets bore testimony against their people and their rulers; 
Esdras and Nehemias resigned the preferments that lay open to 
them in the Persian Empire ; the writers of the Machabees were 
fearless and unprejudiced men; Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John 



Characteristics of Bible Historians. 49 

were made a spectacle and testimony before God, and angels, and 
men. All these writers set the seal of truth upon their histories by 
their sufferings, by their sacrifices, and in many cases marked it with 
their blood. Before the judgment of mankind, they must be pro- 
nounced men who knew the truth, and were not afraid to tell the 
whole truth, and nothing but the truth — intelligent, fearless, unpre- 
judiced historians. 

3. Besides, they were men in whom the Spirit of God dwelt. It 
is certain that their writings are free from doctrinal and moral errors; 
and although the mission of the Spirit was not to teach history as 
such, it may be intelHgently asserted that the Spirit vouchsafed them 
assistance even as historians. 

4. The Bible historians are remarkable for a wonderful conso- 
nance. Although separated by hundreds of years in time, and 
hundreds of miles in space ; although writing in different languages^ 
and under different circumstances; although writing on the same 
subject on many occasions, they cannot be proved to conflict with 
any more than an apparent disagreement. Matthew wrote in Pales- 
tine, Mark in Rome, Luke in Achaia, and John in Ephesus ; yet, in 
their independent narratives on the same subject, there is no contra- 
diction. There is an admirable agreement and unconflicting flow 
in the narrative of the Old Testament historians, notwithstanding 
the various trials, conditions, and vicissitudes of the Hebrew people 
through nearly fourteen centuries. The same striking harmony is 
manifest between the historians of the Old Testament and those of 
the New ; though the former wrote for the Jews,, and the latter for 
jCws and Gentiles, bond and free. 

5. A rigid simplicity and absence of embellishment are character- 
istics of the Bible historians. The facts in the Bible narrative from 
Moses to John are seen standing in the naked majesty of truth Hke 
a ridge of unclad mountains. Sometimes the direct, and sometimes 
the indirect, form of narration is used. There are no winding con- 
volutions of sentences such as we find in Greek and Roman histo- 
rians, nor are there rhetorical efforts at unity and ornamentation ; 
everything is subordinate to the sublime and unceasing flow of truth. 







'S^ 












Characteristics of Bible fiistorians, 51 

6. Mark's descriptions are condensed and striking, Matthew's 
elaborate and minute, Luke's full and comprehensive. Mark 
catches up events in bold outline, Matthew sets them down in 
detail. In Mark and Matthew, we have the outlines without color- 
ing ; Luke not only marks the outlines, but superadds the shades of 
coloring. In Mark, Matthew, and Luke, Jesus is shown as He was 
man, and like unto us in conversation ; in John, Jesus is shown as 
He is — the figure of the Father's substance, and the splendor of the 
Father's glory. In Mark, Matthew, and Luke, the divinity of Jesus 
shines as light from the stars ; in John, the divinity of Jesus is seen 
as light issuing from the sun at noonday. 

7. I would liken Mark to Moses among the Old Testament his- 
torians, Matthew to Josue, Luke to the writers of Machabees, and 
John to Samuel. Were I to seek for parallels among profane his- 
torians, I would say that Mark is like to Sallust, Matthew to Xeno- 
phon, Luke to Livy. I call John the Sacred Herodotus. 

8. What inestimable treasures these Bible historians have be- 
queathed to us ! Their writings are the records of God's dealings 
with the human race. They show us the hinges upon which races, 
and languages, and empires have turned. Other historical writings 
present to us the devices of man ; but the providence of an Almighty 
Ruler, who holds the hearts of rulers and nations in His hand, is 
seen stamped on the pages of the Bible historians. Their words are 
rays of light coming down from the throne of God, with whom 
there is no change or shadow of alteration. 

QUESTIONS. 

Were the Bible historians in a position to state the truth, and why? Were 
they free from fear and prejudice? Did they possess any peculiar advan- 
tage as historians? Explain the consonance that exists among Bible histo- 
rians. State some other characteristics of the Bible historians. Draw an 
antithesis between the four Evangelists — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 
Mention parallels to the Evangelists from Old Testament historians. 
Mention some from profane historians? What value do you attach to the 
writings of the Bible historians? 




'^^ 



I 



SECTION III 



BIBLE HISTORY FROM MOSES. 



CHAPTER XI. 



THE CREATION. 




^REATION is the placing of something in 
existence from nothing. Before crea- 
tion, God alone existed. There were 
neither angels, nor men, nor earth, nor 
heavens. In the beginning of time, God 
created the heavens and the earth. The 
heavens were peopled with the angels. 
Lucifer, that is called Satan or the devil, 
rebelled, and was cast out by Michael 
the archangel. 

2. After creation, the earth was without figure and without prepa- 
ration. It was neither round, nor square, nor of any definite shape ; 
it existed like a changing cloud, and there was confusion of elements. 
It is unknown how long matter existed undistinguished and unpre- 
pared in chaotic state. In six ages or epochs, God separated the 
elements, gave laws to matter, and prepared this palpable world to 
be the habitation of man. These ages are called days; but they 
must not be confounded with our days, for there was yet no earth to 
revolve on its axis and measure day, nor moon to measure month, 
nor sun to measure year. Before these days or ages, a thick dark- 
ness was upon the face of the deep, and a wind moved upon its surface. 

3. The first day ^ God made light. The Lord said : " Let fight come 
into existence, and light came into existence." God then separated 
fight from darkness, caUed fight day, and darkness night, and named 



54 The Creation. 

the beginning of light morning, and the time of rest evening. The 
second day, God made the air. This was the firmament that divided 
the waters above from the waters below, because it holds water in 
a state of solution. It is the means of giving the earth moisture, and 
dews, and rains, and frost, and hail, and snow. The third day, God 
separated land and water, and clothed the la7id with vegetation. God 
called the dry land earth, and the gathering together of the waters 
seas. And God made grass, and plants, and flowers, and fruits, and 
trees, with seeds to multiply according to their kind. The fourth 
day, God placed the sun, and the 7?too7i, and the stars in the heavens. He 
appointed them their motions and courses, that they should be signs 
for days, and for years, and for seasons. He made the sun to rule 
the day, and the moon and the stars to rule the night, that they 
should shed Hght upon the earth. On the fifth day, God made the 
fishes that swim in the waters, aiid the birds that fly in the air. He 
sorted them for society and mixture, and commanded them to increase 
and multiply. Oji the sixth day, God 7?iade the i7ihabiiants of the earth. 
First he made the living creature in its kind ; beasts, and insects, and 
creeping things according to their kind. After, God said : " Let us 
make man to our image and likeness ; and let him have dominion 
over the fishes of the sea, and over the fowls of the air, and the 
beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature that moveth 
upon the earth." God then took virgin earth that was red, called, in 
Hebrew, Adam, and formed man, and breathed into his face the 
breath of life ; and he became a living soul, which God created to 
his own image. 

4. Now God planted a paradise of pleasure, in which he placed 
Adam, and in which were all manner of trees, and flowers, and fruits. 
All kinds of animals were in it, obedient to the will of Adam, and it 
was watered by four streams, Phison, Gehon, Tigris, and Euphrates. 
God brought the animals before Adam, and he assigned them their 
names. Josephus says Adam noticed all animals were male and 
female, and wondered ; and, when the Lord saw this, he cast Adam 
into a deep sleep, and, taking away one of Adam's ribs, formed a 
woman out of it. Eve, or mother of all living, was her name. Adam, 



The Creation. 



:)D 



on seeing Eve, said : " This is bone of my bones, and flesh of 
my flesh : she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of 
man. Wherefore a man shall leave father and mother, and shall 
cleave to his wife ; and they shall be two in one flesh " (Gen. ii. 
23, 24). 

5. When God had thus arranged the furniture of the heavens and 
tlie earth, he rested on the seventh day, sanctified it, and called it 
the Sabbath. The Lord gave a commandment unto Adam saying: 
" Of every tree of paradise thou shalt eat. But of the tree of know- 
ledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat. For in what day soever 
thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die the death " (Gen. ii. 16, 17). 

6. Adam and Eve were happy in paradise, with only one com- 
mandment to try their obedience. Had they observed that com- 
mandment, neither they nor their descendants would have known 
death. The earth gave food without the labor of man, the wild and 
ferocious animals were harmless and loving creatures, and the ele- 
ments afflicted not through cold or heat. In the human body, there 
was no blemish, no pain, no sickness. The mind was burdened with 
no sorrows, or cares, or passions. When man had not known sin, 
he knew no shame, and needed no clothing. Without study or in- 
struction, God poured all kinds of knowledge into man's mind. With 
his will inclined toward good, with his intelligence beholding by intui- 
tion, and with his soul filled with heavenly consolations, man walked 
with God in paradise, and was the companion of angels. 

QUESTIONS. 

What took place before this world was prepared for man ? Give a descrip- 
tion of matter before the preparation. Were the Mosaic days of preparation 
the same as our days? What did God do on the first, second, third, fourth, 
fifth, and sixth days? How did God make light? How did God place the 
air? How did God separate land and water, and produce vegetation? How 
did God place the sun, the tnoon,and the stats ? With what did God people 
air and water ? With what did God people \\\q earth? How did God make 
Adam ? Where did He place man? How did God make Eve ? What is the 
Sabbath? What command did Adam receive? Describe in your own 
words the life of Adam and Eve in paradise. 




TJie Fall a iid Pu n ish merit of Man. 5 7 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE FALL AND PUNISHMENT OF MAN. 

|HE devil, whom Michael had cast out of heaven, entered 
into a serpent in paradise 'to compass the ruin of our 
first parents. The serpent spoke to Eve, and said that 
she would not die the death if she ate the forbidden 
fruit, but would be as God, knowing good and evil. The woman 
])eheld the fruit, arid saw that it was fair to the eye. Slie took the 
fruit, and ate of it, and gave to Adam, who did hkewise eat. Then 
their eyes were opened, but, alas ! to their own nakedness, sin, and 
shame. 

2. They covered themselves with fig leaves, which they made 
into aprons, and, when the Lord walked at the afternoon air, they 
hid themselves amidst the trees of paradise. God called Adam, 
who laid the blame of his transgression on Eve ; and Eve, 
when questioned by God, exculpated herself through the ser- 
])ent! 

3. Then the Lord God said to Adam : " Because thou hast hearken- 
ed to the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, whereof I com- 
manded thee, that thou shouldst not eat, cursed is the earth in thy 
work : with labor and toil shalt thou eat thereof all the days of thy 
life. Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt 
eat the herbs of the earth. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat 
bread, till thou return to the earth, out of which thou wast taken : 
for dust thou art, and into dust shalt thou return." To Eve the Lord 
God spoke : " I will multiply thy sorrows, and thy conceptions : in 
sorrow shalt thou bring forth children, and thou shalt be under thy 
husband's power, and he shall have dominion over thee." And to 
the serpent the Lord said : " Because thou hast done this thing, 
thou art cursed among all catde, and beasts of the earth : upon thy 
breast shalt thou go, and earth shalt thou eat all the days of thy 
life " (Gen. iii.) 

> 4. According to some, the serpent was deprived of the use of 




s 



The Fall and Punishment of Man. 59 

speech ; poison was inserted under his tongue, that he might 
be known as an enemy of man, and he was deprived of the 
use of his feet, that he might go rolUng all along upon the 
ground. 

5. Adam and Eve were then turned out of paradise. The gar- 
den of Eden was guarded by cherubim, that our first parents might 
not return. A flaming sword that turned every way was set to 
cut off all approach to the tree of life. 

6. The consequences of Adam's transgression were manifold. 
Adam and his posterity lost the direct converse of God and of the 
angels, and, shut out from communication with the future world, 
were left in a night of uncertainty and apprehension. Death with 
its terrors descended remorselessly on the human race. As man 
rebelled against God, the elements and the living creatures that 
were in them rose in warfare against man. Man's body became 
subject to sickness, pain, decay, and destruction. Sorrows, enmi- 
ties, anxieties, and woe entered into the human spirit. The human 
will was enfeebled, and became prone to evil. Labor and acquisi- 
tion became necessary to the human intellect, which was narrowed 
and obscured. In fine, there was a degradation and a disarrange- 
ment in man's whole nature and in his relations. 

7. But before God sent Adam and Eve out of the garden of 
Eden, he clad them with garments which he made of skins, and 
consoled them with the promise of a Redeemer. The words of pro- 
mise are in the form of a threat to the serpent : " I will put enmi- 
ties between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed ; 
she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel " 
(Gen. iii. 15). 

8. We have no means of determining the exact time of Adam's 
stay in paradise ; but it was surely not over one hundred and thirty 
years, as Gen. v. 3 states that Adam was one hundred and thirty 
at the birth of Seth. From Gen. iv. i and 17, together with chap- 
ter v., we must probably subtract over one hundred years from that 
figure; so that Adam's time in Eden must have been of short 
duration. 




II 






* 



14 






A.M. 1-130 j- Cain^ A bel^ aitd Setk. 6 1 

QUESTIONS. 

How did our first parents fall ? What did they then ? What did God say 
to Adam? What to Eve? What to the serpent? What further punish- 
ments are said to have been inflicted on the serpent? What was done after 
God pronounced judgment on Adam, Eve, and the serpent ? What were 
the consequences of Adam's fall ? What consolation did Adam and Eve 
receive from God? How long was Adam in paradise? 




CHAPTER XIII. 

CAIN, ABEL, AND SETH. A.M. I 130. 

IjDAM had two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain was a tiller oP 
die ground, and Abel was a shepherd. Cain ofiferedi 
fruits of the earth to the Lord, and Abel offered of the- 
firstlings of his flock. Now, when the I^ord had respect 
to Abel and his sacrifice because he was a good man, Cain became 
exceedingly angry; and the Lord said to him: '-Why art thou, 
angry, and why is thy countenance fallen ? If thou do well, shalt 
not thou receive ? " 

2. Envy entered into the mind of Cain, and he did not heed what 
God said to him. He induced his brother Abel to go abroad into a 
field, and there slew him, and hid his dead body. " Cain," said 
God, "where is thy brother Abel?" "I know not," answered 
Cain: ''am I my brother's keeper?" Then God was angry with 
Cain, because he was a murderer and a liar, and said to him : 
" What hast thou done ? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth to 
me from the earth. Now therefore cursed shalt thou be upon the 
earth, which hath opened her mouth and received the blood of thy 
brother at thy hand. When thou shalt till it, it shall not yield to thee 
its fruit : a fugidve and a vagabond shalt thou be upon the earth " 
(Gen. iv.) God then set a mark on Cain, that he might not be 
killed by men or wild beasts, and sent him wandering over all the 
earth. Adam and Eve mourned over the dead body of Abel, 



62 Cain^ Abel^ and Seth. ]a.m. 1130 

and were sorrowful because of the wickedness of Cain, and that he 
was cast out of the land. 

3. Cain wandered over many countries, and, instead of being cor- 
rected by punishment, became more and more wicked. He built 
cities, surrounded them with walls, and gathered men into them. He 
was the first that set boundaries about land; he invented weights 
and measures ; he amassed wealth, and procured pleasures by vio- 
lence and injustice; he was a leader of men into all kinds of wicked- 
ness. He resided in a city which he called Henoch, after his eldest 
son. 

4. Among the posterity of Cain, Jabel was the father of herdsmen, 
Jubal of harpers and organists, Tubal of warriors, and Tubal cain of 
smiths and artificers. During the lifetime of Adam, the posterity of 
•Cain grew exceedingly wicked, so that murders, robberies, violence, 
and sin prevailed amongst them. 

5. When Adam was one hundred and thirty years old, he brought 
forth a son whose name was Seth. Adam lived eight hundred years 
after the birth of Seth. There is a tradition that he was the father 
of thirty-three sons and twenty-three daughters. 

QUESTIONS. 

What do you know about Cain and Abel ? Why did Cain murder Abel ? 
•How did God act with Cain? Give the history of Cain after being cast out 
by God. Mention some celebrated descendants of Cain. How many chil- 
. dren did Adam have ? Who was the most celebrated of them ? 



A.M. 130-1656 



The Patriarchs to Noe. 



63 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE PATRIARCHS TO NOE — LIFE OF MEN BEFORE THE FLOOD. 
A.M. 130 1656. 

SHALL set down the names of the patriarchs according 

to the Septuagint, Hebrew, and Samaritan Versions, 

giving the age of each when the next was born, the 

years of each after the next was born, and the total 

length of the life of each. 

TABLE I. AGE OF EACH WHEN THE NEXT WAS BORN. 




1. Adam. . . . 

2. Seth 

3. Enos 

4. Cainan. . . 

5. Malaleel. . 

6. Jared 

7. Henoch . . . 

8. Mathusala 
Cainan ?. . 

9. Lamech . . 

10. Noe 

11. Sem 



Septuagint. 



230 

205 
I go 
170 
165 
162 
165 
187 
167 
188 
502 
100 



Hebrew. 



130 
105 

go 

70 

65 
162 

65 
187 
wanting 
182 
502 
100 



Samaritan. 



2,264 



1,658 



130 

105 
go 

7C 
65 
62 

65 
f,7 
wanting 

53 
502 
100 



i,3og 



TABLE II. YEARS OF EACH AFTER THE NEXT WAS BORN. 



Adam. . . . 

Seth 

Enos 

Cainan. . . 
Malaleel . , 

Jared 

Henoch . . 
Mathusala 
Cainan. . . , 
Lamech . , , 

Noe 

Sem 



Septuagint. Hebrew. Samaritan 



700 
707 

715 
740 
730 
800 
200 
782 
802 
565 
448 
500 



800 
807 
815 
840 
830 
800 
300 
782 
wanting 
595 
448 
500 



800 

807 

815 
840 
830 

785 
300 

65,3 
wanting 
600 
448 
500 



The Patriarchs to Noe. 



A.M 1^0-16 s6 



TABLE III. TOTAL LENGTH OF LIFE. 



Adam. . . . 

Seth 

Enos 

Cainan. . . 
Malaleel. 
Jared. . . . , 
Henoch. . 
Mathusala 
Cainan. . . 
Lamech. . . 

Noe 

Sem 



Septuagint. 


Hebrew. 


Samaritan 


930 


930 


930 


912 


912 


912 


905 


905 


905 


910 


910 


910 


895 


895 


895 


962 


9^2 


847 


365 


365 


365 


969 


969 


720 


969 


wanting 


wanting 


753 


777 


653 


950 


950 


950 


600 


600 


600 



2. Thus, the Flood took place, according to the Septuagint Version, 
in the year of the world 2264; according to the Hebrew, in 1656; 
and according to the Samaritan, in the year 1307; for we read in 
Gen. xi. 10: "Sem was a hundred years old when he begot Ar- 
phaxad, two years after the Flood." The Hebrew Version is probably 
the correct one, and is the most acceptable for many reasons. In 
locking at the dates and comparing the versions, we find that the 
hundred years of the Septuagint is an interpolation. As to the Sa- 
maritan Version, nearly all bodies of Christians are agreed that the 
Hebrew should be preferred. On these versions turns the chrono- 
logy of the Old Testament. 

3. The world was rapidly peopled before the Flood, on account 
of the longevity of man, and the great number of children which 
were born unto each. The knowledge which Adam learned from 
God, and the account of the beginning of the world, were easily pre- 
served in that age. Lamech, Noe's father, lived fifty-six years with 
Adam ; and Thare, Abraham's father, lived one hundred and twenty- 
eight years with Noe. Thus the knowledge of Adam reached Abra- 
ham through Lamech, Noe, and Thare ; and from Abraham it was 
easily transmitted to Moses, The traditions received from Adam 
were preserved with great care by the patriarchs. 



A.M I30-1656J- The Patriarchs to JVoe, ^c 

4. The antediluf ians were divided into the sons of God and tlie 
sons of men. Seth and his posterity were holy, and obeyed the com 
mandments of God under the reign of reason. These command- 
ments were six, and bound man to give external worship to God, not 
to take the name of God in vain, not to shed human blood, to abstain 
from illicit intercourse, not to rob or steal, and to obey the laws of 
civil society. Noe and his posterity were forbidden to eat flesh with 
blood. 

5. Seth, who was born to Adam in place. of Abel, was a virtuous 
man, and brought up his children in the ways of God. The children 
of Seth are said to have been the first students of astronomy. Enos 
was a holy man, and began to invoke the name of the Lord. Henoch 
was renowned for sanctity and a prophetic spirit. At the age of three 
hundred and sixty-five years, he was taken up alive to heaven. La- 
mech, the father of Noe, is said to have mistaken Cain for a wild 
beast, and to have been the cause of his death. Mathusala died 
in the year of the Flood, at the age of 969. 

6. God gave man in Eden for food herbs and the fruits of trees. 
After the expulsion of man from paradise, down to the time of the 
Flood, man was supported on food like to that in paradise. Permis- 
sion was given to Noe to eat flesh, but to abstain from flesh and 
blood. 

7. About the seventh generation, the descendants of Seth, seeing 
that the daughters of men were fair and lovely, began to take them 
for wives. From these marriages were born the giants of old, a 
wicked race of huge men with savage and ferocious natures. All 
flesh was corrupted in the sight of God, and He repented that He 
had made man. 

QUESTIONS. 
Give the names of the antediluvian patriarchs. Give the age of each when 
the next was born, the years he lived after the next was born, and the total 
length of the life of each. What is the correct date of the Flood, and why? 
Why was the antediluvian period favorable to the increase of population and 
the preservation of traditions? What were the commandments before the 
Flood ? What do you know of the antediluvian patriarchs ? What was the 
food of man before the Flood ? Who were the giants of old ? 




-^ 






II 




Noe, the Ark, and the Flood. 67 

CHAPTER XV. 

NOE, THE ARK, AND THE FLOOD. A.M. 1 656. 

MIDST the corruption of the human race, there was one 
man just and good, a preacher of righteousness, and 
the beloved of God. This man's name was Noe. God 
determined to destroy all mankind from the earth, 
with the exception of Noe and his family, from whom a new and 
purer race would arise. He commanded Noe to build an ark of 
vessel three hundred cubits long (a cubit is one foot and nine inches), 
fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. The ark was made of tim- 
ber planks, was built with lower, and middle chambers, and three 
stories, and had a window on the top, and a door in the side. Noe 
spent one hundred years m fulfilling the command of God. Mean- 
time, the world became more and more impure, and rotten with 
iniquity. 

2. When the ark was completed, God gave Noe, his three sons, 
Sem, Cham, and Japheth, Noe's wife, and the wives of his sons 
seven days' warning. Noe was directed to take of all clean beasts 
seven and seven, male and female, of fowls of the air seven and 
seven, male and female, and of unclean beasts two and two, male 
and female, that seed might be saved upon the face of the whole 
earth. There was, also, a supply of food placed in the ark for Noe 
inmself and the animals. 

3. In the seventeenth day of the month, in the second month, in the 
six hundredth year of Noe, and in the one thousand six hundred and 
fifty -sixth year of the world, when the seven days had expired, and 
Noe, his family, and the animals had entered into the ark, the flood- 
gates of Heaven were opened, and the fountains of the great deep were 
broken up. Forty days and forty nights it rained upon the earth, 
and the face of the whole earth was filled with the waters, and the 
waters rose fifteen cubits over -the tops of the highest mountains, 
and the ark was borne upon the surface of the waters. 

4. All flesh was destroyed before the face of the Lord. Men in 



68 Noe, the Ark^ and the Flood, \ a.m. 1656 

the midst of sin were swept away by the waves. There was neither 
man, nor fowl, nor cattle, nor creeping thing left upon the earth, 
but all things in which was the breath of life perished. Thus 
passed away the antediluvian generation — their bodies into the 
waters of the Deluge, and their souls into the flames of hell. 

5. For one hundred and fifty days the Flood prevailed over the 
whole earth, rolling and re-rolling, and agitated like the ocean. 
After one hundred and fifty days, the Lord remembered Noe, sent a 
wind upon the waters, shut up the flood-gates of heaven and the 
fountains of the deep, and produced an abating of the waters. On 
the twenty-seventh day of the seventh month, the ark rested on the 
mountains of Armenia. On the first day of the tenth month, the 
receding deluge left the tops of the mountains naked. After forty 
days, Noe sent forth a raven, which did not return. He then set 
free a dove, which, not finding where to set its foot, returned into 
the ark. When seven days were passed, he sent forth the dove 
again, which returned with the bough of an olive-tree. A third 
time he sent forth the dove, which returned not any more. 

6. On the twenty-seventh day of the second month, Noe, his 
family, and the animals that were in the ark, came out upon the 
earth. Noe built an altar to the Lord, and offered holocausts of all 
cattle and fowl that were clean. The Lord w^as pleased with the 
sacrifice, and said : " I will no more curse the earth for the sake of 
man : for the imagination and thought of man's heart are prone to 
evil from their youth : therefore I will no more destroy every living 
soul as I have done. All the days of the earth, seed-time and 
harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, night and day, shall 
not cease " (Gen. viii.) God then blessed Noe, and established 
the rainbow as the sign of a covenant that he would no more 
waste the world with the waters of a flood. 

7. The researches of geologists and the records of nations unmis- 
takably point to the existence of the Deluge. The displacement of 
strata, the locations of fossil remains, and the perturbations of geo- 
logical formations cannot be satisfactorily explained without the occur- 
rence of the Flood. Berosus the Chaldean, Hieronymus the Egyp- 



A jj- J656 i xke Posterity of Noe. 69 

tian, Mnaseas, and Nicolaus of Damascus, may be mentioned 
among the ancients. Josephus further adds : " All the writers of 
barbarian histories make mention of this ark and this flood." 

QUESTIONS. 

• Who was Noe? Describe the ark? What did Noe take into the ark 
with him? When did the Flood take place? What becaftie of all living 
things outside the ark? How long did the Deluge continue? How did 
Noe discover the abating of the Deluge? When did Noe come out from the 
ark ? What did Noe do on coming out from the ark ? What c oM W &n nt did 
God make with Noe? Is there any evidence of the Flood from geology or 
profane history ? 



CHAPTER XVI. 




THE POSTERITY OF NOE, THE TOWER OF BABEL, AND THE CON- 
FUSION OF TONGUES. A.M. 1656 A.M. I 757- 

FTER the Deluge, Noe became a tiller of the ground. 
When he had made wine from the vine which he planted, 
he was found drunk, and uncovered in his tent. Cham, 
having discovered him, brought his brothers to jest ; but 
Sem and Japheth, walking backwards, covered their naked father. 
Noe, who had not known the strength of the wine, on awaking said : 
" Blessed be the Lord God of Sem, be Canaan his servant. May 
God enlarge Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Sem, and 
Canaan be his servant " (Gen. ix.) 

2. The whole world was peopled by the children of Noe. Cham 
and his descendants spread over the lands of Syria, and all the terri- 
tory toward the sea-coast. Beyond the sea-coast they peopled the 
continent of Africa. From Chus came the Ethiopians, from Phuth 
the Libyans. Other descendants of Cham were the founders ,of 
African nations. 

3. Japheth and his descendants occupied Europe. Gomer was the 
founder of the Gauls, Magog of the Scythians, Madai of the Medes, 
Thubal of the Iberians, and Javan of the Greeks. 



/o The Posterity of Noe \ 



A M. 1656 
A.M. 1757 



4. The Asiatic nations were founded by the children of Sem. 
From Elam caniie the Persians, from Assur the Assyrians, from Aram 
the Syrians, from Lud the Lydians, and from Arphaxad the Chal- 
deans. 

5. After the Deluge, there was but one language among men. One 
hundred years after the Flood, the men that dwelt in the plain of 
Sennaar began to build a city, and a tower that would reach up to 
the heavens. Distrusting the promise of God that He would never 
again destroy the world by a deluge, and ascribing their prosperity 
to themselves, they wished for a huge tower of brick and slime to 
escape a future cataclysm, 

6-. By reason of their numbers and energy, the tower rose very 
high in a short time. Then God descended to see the works of 
men, and, being angry with their disobedience, confounded their lan- 
guage, so that they could not understand one another's speech. 
This was the origin of many languages. The name of the city was 
called Babel, because there the language of the whole earth was 
confounded. After the confusion of "language, the builders, being 
unable to understand one another, ceased to work, and were scat- 
tered over the face of all countries. 

7. The Sibyl thus refers to Babel, or the Confusion : " When all 
men were of one language, some of them built a high tower, as if 
they would ascend up to heaven ; but the gods sent storms of wind, 
and overthrew the tower, and gave everyone his peculiar language; 
and for this reason it was that the city was called Babylon^ 

QUESTIONS. 

Why was Cham cursed by Noe? Where did Cham setde? Mention some 
nadons sprung from him. Where did Japheth settle? Name some of his 
descendants. Where did Sem and his posterity settle? Name some of his 
posterity. What do you know about the cit)' of Babel? What about the 
confusion of language? What does the Sibyl say on the subject? 



A M lUl \ ^^^^ Posterity of Noe to the. Call of A bn 



am. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

THE POSTERITY OF NOE TO THE CALL OF ABRAM. A.M. 1757 — 

A.M. 2023 or 2083.* 

SHxALL set down, as in a preceding chapter, the 
names of the patriarchs to the call of Abram out of 
Haran. 

AGE OF EACH WHEN THE NEXT WAS B RN. 




Arphaxad 

Cainan 

Sale 

Heber 

Phaleg 

Reu 

Sarug 

Nachor 

Thare 

Abram leaves Haran 



Septuagint, Hebrew. 



135 
130 
130 

134 
130 
132 
130 

'9 or 179 
70 

75 



ii45or 1245 



JO 

wanting 
30 
34 
30 
32 
30 
29 
70 

75 



365 



Samaritan. 



wanting 
130 

134 
130 
132 
130 

79 
70 

75 



1,015 



YEARS OF EACH AFTER THE NEXT WAS BORN. 



Arphaxad 
Cainan . . . 

Sale 

Heber. . . . 
Phaleg .. 

Reu 

Sarug. . . . 
Nachor . . . 
Thare. . . . 



Septuagint. I Hcbre\ 



400 
330 
330 
270 
209 
207 
200 
129 
135 



403 
wanting 

403 
430 
209 
207 
200 
119 
135 



Samaritan. 



303 
wanting 

303' 

270 

109 

107 

100 

69 

75 



A.M. 2083 is found by inserting in the Hebrew li=t the Septuagint age of Nachor. 



72 The Posterity of Noe to the Call of Abram. \ :^:j;; 

TOTAL LENGTH OF LIFE. 



1757 
2023 



Arphaxad 
Cainan.. . 
Sale . . 
Heber . . . 
Phaleg.. . 

Reu 

Sarug. . . 
Nachor . , 
Thare. . . . 



Septuagint. 



Hebrew. 



535 


438 


438 


460 


wanting 


wanting 


460 


433 


433 


404 


464 


404 


339 


239 


239 


339 


239 


239 


330 


230 


230 


208 


148 


148 


205 


205 


145 



Samaritan. 



2. It is thus seen that the Septuaguit Version of the Bible places 
the call of Abram in the year 1245 or 1145 after the birth of Ar- 
phaxad, the Hebrew Version in the year 365, and the Samaritan in 
the year 1015. By adding these figures to the corresponding ones in 
Chapter XIV., we find that Abram was called out of Haran, 
according to the Septuagint, in the year of the world 3409 or 3509, 
according to the Hebrew in the year 2023, and according to the 
Samaritan in the year 2324. 

3. The names and ages of these patriarchs serve as so many links 
to mark the different ages of the world from the Creation to the call 
of Abram. 

4. Thare, Abram's father, was born in Ur of the Chaldees. He 
had three sons, Abram, Nachor, and Aran. Abram married 
Sarai, the daughter of Aran and sister of Lot. Thare took Abram, 
Lot, and Sarai to go out of the land of his nativity, Ur of the Chal- 
dees, and come into Canaan. They came as far as Haran, where 
Thare died. 

5. When Abram was seventy-five years old, tlie Lord called 
him out of Haran, and spoke to him the Promise, saying: " Go forth 
out of thy country and from thy kindred, and out of thy fatlier's 
house, and come into the land which i shall show thee. And I will 
make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and magnify thy 
name, and thou shalt be blessed. I will bless them that bless thee. 



J;j;;^°|3j. The History of A bram 73 

and curse them that curse thee, and in thee shall all the kindreds of 
the earth be blessed" (Gen. xii. 1-3). 

QUESTIONS. 

State the age of each patriarch from Sera to Abram when the next was 
born. What were the years of each after the next was born ? What was the 
total length of each one's life? How many years from the' Deluge to the 
call of Abram? How many from the Creation to the call of Abram? 
How is it found out? What do you know of Thare ? How old was Abram 
when called ? What are the words of the Promise ? 




CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE HISTORY OF ABRAM. — A.M. 2083 A.M. 2183. 

jBRAM was the father of the Hebrew nation, the ancestor 
of the Messias according to the flesh, and the great 
patriarch of God's children in all ages since his time. 
Abram occupies the most prominent position in Jew- 
ish antiquity. In him and his seed, God selected a people to Him- 
self from among the nations. Theirs were the prophets, theirs the 
promises, theirs the inheritance of the saints, and theirs was Jesus 
Christ according to the flesh. 

2. Now, Abram, and Sarai, and Lot, and they that were with them, 
went from Haran to the place of Sichem, where the Canaanite dwelt; 
and, when the Lord had appeared to Abram, saying, I will give this 
land to thy seed, he built an altar, and moved to a mountain on the 
east side of Bethel. Here he built another altar, and called upon the 
name of the Lord. Thence moving southward, he was driven by 
famine into Egypt, where Abram was treated well by King Pharao 
and the Egyptians on account of Sarai, who was a beautiful woman, 
and was taken into the house of the king. 

3. The Lord scourged Pharao and his house by reason of Sarai, 
who was not, as the king supposed, Abram's sister, but Abram's wife. 
Abram, Sarai, Lot, and their servants, with their wealth, for they had 



74 The History of Abram. -(am 21? 

grown very rich in Egypt, were sent out of the land, and returned by 
the way they went. They came into the place near Bethel where 
Abram had built the altar, and called upon the name of the Lord. 
Here the land was not able to bear them and their substance, which 
became exceedingly great, and a strife arose between the herdsmen 
of Abram and Lot. Abram therefore said to Lot : Let there be no 
quarrel, I beseech thee, between me and thee, and between my herds- 
men and thy herdsmen, for we are brethren. Let us separate. If 
thou wilt go to the right, I shall go to the left ; should you choose 
the left, I shall take the right. Lot lifted up his eyes over the whole 
land, and beholding the well-watered region of the Jordan, which 
was like unto Egypt, went down and dwelt in Sodom. After the de- 
parture of Lot, the Lord appeared to Abram in the land of Canaan, 
and renewed the Promise in these words : " Lift up thy eyes, and 
look from the place wherein thou now art, to the north and to the 
south, to the east and to the west. All the land, which thou 
seest, I will give to thee, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make 
thy seed as the dust of the earth : if any man be able to number 
the dust of the earth, he shall be able to number thy seed also. 
Arise and walk through the land in the length, and in the breadth 
thereof: for I will give it to thee " (Gen. xiii.) Abram moved his 
tent to the valley of Mambre, in Hebron, and built another altar to 
the Lord. 

4. While Lot was dwelling in Sodom, four kings made war against 
five, one of the latter being Bara, the King of Sodom. Lot joined 
Bara in the expedition, and was made captive in a battle fought where 
now stands the Dead Sea. When Abram, who was a brave man, 
heard of the capture of his nephew Lot, he mustered three hundred and 
eighteen of his servants, pursued the victor kings to Dan, gave them 
battle by night, and rescued Lot with all his substance, the women 
also, and the people. On his return, he was met by Melchisedech, 
the King of Salem, who brought forth bread and wine, for he was a 
priest of the Most High God. Melchisedech blessed Abram, and 
Abram paid tithes to Melchisedech, who was a figure of Jesus Christ. 

5. The birth of a child from Abram and Sarai, the captivity of 




D. ii J. SADLIER & CO., N. Y. 



a.m: ^^3 \ The History of A bram. 75 

their posterity, and the establishment of the Promise in a covenant 
between God and Abraliam, were next revealed. The Mosaic account 
says (Gen. xv.) : " Fear not, Abram, I am thy protector, and thy 
reward exceeding great. And Abram said : Lord God, what wilt 
Thou give me ? I shall go without children : and the son of the 
steward of my house is this Damascus Eliezer. And Abram added : 
But to me Thou hast not given seed : and to my servant, born in 
my house, shall be my heir. And immediately the word of the Lord 
came to him, saying: He shall not be thy heir: but he that shall 
come out of tliy bowels, him shalt thou have for thy heir. And He 
brought him forth abroad, and said to him : Look up to heaven and 
number the stars, if thou canst. And He said to him : So shall thy 
seed be. Abram believed God, and it was reputed to him unta 
justice. And He said to him: I am the Lord who brought thee 
out from Ur of the Chaldees to give thee this land, and that thou 
mightest possess it. But he said : Lord God, whereby may I know 
that I shall possess it ? • And the Lord answered, and said : Take 
me a cow of three years old, and a she-goat of three years, and a 
ram of three years, a turtle also, and a pigeon. And he took all 
these, and divided them in the midst, and laid the two pieces of 
each one against the oiher : but the birds he divided not. And 
the fowls came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them 
away. And wdien the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell upon 
A.bram, and a great and darksome horror seized upon him. And it 
was said unto him : Know thou beforehand that thy seed shall be a 
stranger in a land not their own, and they shall bring them under 
bondage, and afflict them four hundred years. But I will judge the 
nation which they shall serve, and after this they shall come out 
with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace, 
and be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they 
shall return hither : for as yet the iniquities of the Amorrhites are 
not at the full until this present time. And when the sun was set, 
there arose a dark mist, and there appeared a smoking furnace, and 
a lamp of fire passing between those divisions. That day God 
made a covenant with Abram, saying : To thy seed will I give this 



a!"' 2183 \ ^-^^ History of A bram. 



A.M. 2183 

land from the river of Egypt even to the great river Euphrates, the 
Cineans, and Cenezites, the Cedmonites, and the Hethites, and the 
Pherezites, the Raphaim also, and the Amorrhites and the Canaan- 
ites, and the Gergesites, and the Jebusites." Sarai, seeing that she 
was old, gave Agar, an Egyptian handmaid, to Abram; and, when 
Abram was eighty-six years old, Agar brought him forth Ishmael, 
whom the Lord blessed and made the head of tribes and of a 
nation. 

6. At the end of the ninety-ninth year of Abram, and the thir- 
teenth year of Ishmael, God made the covenant of circumcision 
with Abram, and promised him a son whose name should be Isaac. 
The covenant of circumcision was this : " Thou," said the Lord, 
" shalt keep my covenant, and thy seed after thee in their generations. 
This is my covenant which you shall observe between me , and you, 
and thy seed after thee : All the male kind of you shall be circum- 
cised : and you shall circumcise the fl^sh of your foreskin, that it 
may be for a sign of the covenant between me and you. An infant 
of eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man-child 
in your generations : he that is born in the house, as well as the 
bought servant, shall be circumcised, and who5oever is not of your 
stock : and my covenant shall be in your flesh for a perpetual 
covenant. The male, whose flesh of his foreskin shall not be circum- 
cised, that soul shall be destroyed out of his people : because he 
hath broken my covenant " (Gen. xvii.) On making the covenant 
of circumcision with Abram, the Lord changed his name Abram 
or high father, into Abraham, or father of a multitude, and the name 
of his wife Sarai, or noble, into Sara, that \s, princess. 

7. While Abraham was in the vale of Mambre, at the door of his tent, 
and in the heat of the day, he saw a vision of the Lord, and enter- 
tained three angels. Before the Lord departed, Abraham interceded 
for Sodom and the wicked cities of the plains. The Lord granted 
Abraham's prayer, that, should He find ten just men in Sodom and 
Gomorrha, He would not destroy them. On the evening of that 
day, the Lord remembered Abraham, and for his sake sent two 
angels to deliver Lot, who was Abraham's nephew and Sara's brother, 



78 The History of Abram. \"^;.l% 

out of Sodom. Now, when the sun was risen upon the earth, and 
Lot and his two daughters had gone into Segor, fire and brimstone 
rained upon Sodom and Gomorrha from the Lord out of heaven. 
The cities and all tilings in them with the inhabitants were destroy- 
ed, and the country all round about was changed into the Dead Sea. 
Lot's wife disobeyed the command of God by looking backwards 
towards the city, and was changed into a pillar of salt, which his- 
torians saw standing in the place thousands of years after. At that 
time, early in the morning, Abraham rose, and, wishing to know the 
fate of the cities, he looked towards Sodom and Gomorrha. From 
the whole of that country before the eyes of Abraham ashes rose 
up out of the earth, as smoke out of a furnace. 

8. Abraham thence removed to the south country, and sojourned 
in Gerara, whose king Abimelech, taking Sara to be Abraham's sis- 
ter, took her to wife. Being warned in a dream by the Lord, and 
being about to be punished for the taking of Sara, Abimelech re- 
stored to Abraham Sara, and much wealth and many servants, and 
gave him land to dwell wheresoever it should please him. Now, 
the Lord visited Sara according to promise, and she conceived and 
bore a son in her old age, whom Abraham called Isaac, and circum- 
cised on the eighth day after his birth, according to the command of 
God. After the birth of Isaac, which took place when Abraham 
was one hundred years old, Abraham cast out Agar and Ishmael into 
the desert at the instigation of Sara. Ishmael became an archer in 
the desert Pharan, and married an Egyptian woman. Abraham 
made a league with Abimelech at Bersabee. 

9. Now, when Isaac was grown up to be a young man, God wished 
to try the faith of Abraham, and spoke to him : "Abraham, Abra- 
ham. And he answered : Here I am. He said to him : Take thy 
only begotten son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and go into the land 
of vision : and there thou shalt offer him for an holocaust upon one 
of the mountains which I will show thee. So Abraham, rising up in 
the night, saddled his ass, and took with him two young men, and 
Isaac his son ; and when he had cut wood for the holocaust, he 
went his way to the place which God had commanded him. And 



A.M.- Ifsl } The History of A bram, 79 

oil the third day, Hfting up his eyes, he saw the place afar off. And 
he said to his young men : Stay you here with the ass : I and the 
boy will go with speed as far as yonder, and after we have wor- 
shipped, will return to you. And he took the wood for the holocaust, 
and laid it upon Isaac his son : and he himself carried in his hands 
hre and a sword. And as they two went on together, Isaac said to 
his father : My father. And he answered : What wilt thou, son ? 
Behold, saith he, fire and wodd : where is the victim for the holo- 
caust ? And Abraham said : God will provide Himself a victim 
for a holocaust, my son. So they went on together : and they came 
to the place which God had showed him, where he built an altar, 
and laid the wood in order upon it : and when he had bound Isaac 
his son, he laid him on the altar upon the pile of wood. And he 
put forth his hand, and took the sword, to sacrifice his son. And 
behold an Angel of the Lord from heaven called to him, saying : 
Abraham, Abraham. And he answered : Here I am. And He said 
lo him : Lay not thy hand upon the boy, neither do thou anything 
to him : now I know that thou fearest God, and hast not spared thy 
only begotten son for my sake " (Gen. xxii.) God, therefore, swore 
by Himself, and confirmed the Promise, that the posterity of Abraham 
should be as numerous as the stars in the heavens or the sand by 
the sea-shore, that his posterity should have power over their enemies, 
and that in the seed of Abraham all nations should be blessed. 

10. Sara died at the age of one hundred and twenty-seven years, and 
was buried by Abraham near his old home in Hebron, in a sepul- 
chre which he purchased from Ephron the Hethite for four hundred 
sides of silver. After the death of Sara, Abraham married Cetura, 
and begot Zamran, Jecsan, Madan, Madian, Jesboc, and Sue. 

11. Abraham is by Sara the progenitor of the Israelites, by Agar of 
some Arab tribes through Ishmael, and by the children of Cetura 
of many Asiatic nations, especially the Madianites. 

1 2. Abraham died at the age of one hundred and seventy-five years, 
was buried near Sara in Hebron, and was mourned over by the chil- 
dren of all his wives. 

13. Abraham led a pastoral and nomadic life. His journeyings 



8o The History of Isaac, -iJi^^ba 

extended from Ur of the Chaldees to Haran, from Haran to Canaan, 
from Canaan to Egypt, thence back to Canaan, where he died. 
The piety of Abraham is seen through the number of altars he raised 
to the Lord ; faith and obedience in the intended sacrifice of Isaac ; 
his peacefuhiess in separadng with Lot; his courage in the defeat of 
Chodorlahomor and his alhes; his hoHness in his intimate converse 
with the angels. Since the days when God walked with Adam in 
the garden of Paradise, He had never manifested Himself to any 
mortal in such close relations as He did to Abraham. 

QUESTIONS. 

Who was Abram ? What do you know of his journey to Canaan and 
Eg3'pt ? What was the occasion of Abram's leaving Egypt ? What do you 
know of Abram from the going out of Egypt to the separation with Lot? 
Wha,t did the Lord promise Abram after Lot had departed ? What do you 
know of the recovery of Lot by Abram ? Whom did Abram meet on his 
return from Dan ? What do you know about the promise of seed to Abram, 
the captivity of his posterit)-, and the covenant between God and Abram ? 
Who was Agar, and wl a was her son's name? When did the Lord change 
the names of Abram and Sarai into Abraham and Sara? When did God 
make the covenant of circumcision with Abram ? What is the covenant of 
circumcision ? What do you know of the destruction of Sodom and Go- 
morrha? What about Lot? Whither did Abraham next go, and what took 
place? What do you know about the birth of Isaac ? Describe the sacri- 
fice which God commanded Abraham to offer. What did God then 
do? When did Sara die? What nations are descended from Abraham? 
Where was he buried ? Give the character of Abraham. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

HISTORY OF ISAAC. A.M. 2183 A.M. 2288. 

OW, before Abraham died, he sent his servant into the 
land of his fathers to find a wife for Isaac among his 
kindred. The servant, with ten camels and something 
of all his master's goods, went forward to Nachor, a 
city in Mesopotamia, He unharnessed his camels by a well without 




A.M." 2288} The History of Isaac. 8i 

the town, and prayed : " O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, 
meet me to-day, I beseech Thee, and show kindness to my master 
Abraham. Behold I stand nigh the spring of water, and the 
(laughters of the inhabitants of this city will come out to draw 
water. Now therefore the maid to whom I shall say : Let down 
tb.y pitcher, that I may drink : and she shall answer, Drink, and 
I will give thy camels drink also : let it be the same whom Thou 
hast provided for Thy servant Isaac : and by this I shall understand 
that Thou hast showed kindness to my master " (Gen. xxiv.) 
Rebecca, the daughter of Bathuel, and the grandniece of Abra- 
ham, arrived from the town, and, having fulfilled these conditions, 
was asked by the servant for her cousin Isaac. Rebecca accompa- 
nied the servant to the home of Abraham, and became the wife of 
Isaac, now forty years old. 

2. When Isaac was sixty years, Rebecca conceived, and was de- 
livered of twins. He that came forth first was red and all hairy like 
a skin, and his name was Esau. Immediately the other, coming 
forth, held his brother's foot in his hand. His name was Jacob. 
Esau grew up a skilful hunter; but Jacob was a plain man, and 
dwelt in tents. Esau w^as the beloved of Isaac; Jacob, of Re- 
becca. 

3. As Esau was returning from the field, he was faint, and met 
his brother Jacob with some red pottage. Esau, thinking little of 
his birthright, sold it to his brother Jacob for a mess of pottage and 
lentils. Having confirmed the sale with an oath, he ate, and went 
his way. 

4. A famine came upon the land of Canaan, and Isaac, like his 
father Abraham, w^as about to go down to Egypt, but the Lord ap- 
peared to him, and said : " Go not down into Egypt, but stay in 
the land that I shall tell thee. And sojourn in it, and I will be with 
thee, and will bless thee : for to thee and to thy seed I will give all these 
countries, to fulfil the oath which I swore to Abraham thy father. 
And I will multiply thy seed like the stars of heaven : and I will 
give to thy posterity all these countries: and in thy seed shall all 
the nations of the earth be blessed. Because Abraham obeyed my 




^2 ;$ 






!^'$. 



c< <; 



a:m;2288I- The History of Isaac. 83 

voice, and kept my precepts and commandments, and observed my 
ceremonies and laws " (Gen. xxvi.) 

Isaac remained in Gerara with Abimelech, and, after the manner 
of Abraham, called Rebecca his sister. For this he was chided by 
Abimelech, seeing that it might lead to adultery. After a time, 
Isaac increased in wealth and power, so as to arouse the jealousy of 
Abimelech and his subjects. They stopped the wells of Abraham. 
Isaac dug others. First, he dug m the torrent of Gerara, and found 
living water, and, when the herdsmen of Gerara quarrelled, he called 
the name of that well Calumny. He dug another, and they quar- 
relled likewise. That he named Enmity. He departed, and dug a 
third, for which they did not contend. That he called Latitude. 
Thence he went to Bersabee, and dug a fourth ; to that he gave the 
name Abundance. At Bersabee he built an altar to God, and made 
a treaty with Abimelech. 

5. Esau took unto himself wives of the Hethites, named Judith 
and Basemath. Isaac sent Esau to hunt and fetch meat before 
giving his blessing. Rebecca, who loved Jacob more than Esau and 
his wives, overheard Isaac, and, having dressed Jacot> in Esau's 
clothes, and placed kid-skin on his hands and neck, sent him with 
food to obtain his father's blessing Acting according to his 
mother's instructions; Jacob went to his father, and said : " My fa- ' 
ther ? But he ansv/ered : I . hear. Who art thou, my son ? And 
Jacob said : I am Esau, thy first-born : I have done as thou didst 
command me : arise^ sit, and eat of my venison, that thy soul may 
bless me. And Isaac said to his son : How couldst thou find it so 
quickly, my son ? He answered : It was the will of God that what 
I sought came quickly in my \yay : and Isaac said : Come hither, 
that I may feel thee, my son, and may prove whether thou be my 
son Esau, or not. He came near to his father, and when he had felt 
him, Isaac said : The voice, indeed, is the voice of Jacob : but the 
hands are the hands of Esau. And he knew him not, because his 
hairy hands made him like to the elder. Then blessing him, he 
said: Art thou my son Esau? He answered: I am. Then he 
said : Bring me the meats of thy hunting, my son, that my soul 




.'^ 






S 






^•j;;^J^3j. The History of Isaac, 85 

may bless thee. And when they were brought and he had eaten, 
he offered him wine also, which after he had drunk, he said to 
him : Come near me, and give me a kiss, my son. He came near, 
and kissed him. And immediately as he smelled the fragrant smell 
of his garments, blessing him, he said : Behold the smell of my son 
is as the smell of a plentiful field, which the Lord hath blessed. God 
give thee of the dew of heaven, and ol the fatness of the earth, 
abundance of corn and wine And let peoples serve thee, and 
tribes worship thee : be thou lord of thy brethren, and let thy 
mother's children bow down before thee. Cursed be he that curseth 
thee : and let him that blesseth thee be filled with blessings. Isaac 
had scarce ended his words, when Jacob being now gone out 
abroad, Esau came, and brought in to his father meats made of 
what he had taken in hunting, saying : Arise, my father, and eat of thy 
son's venison : that thy soul may bless me. And Isaac said to him : 
Why ! who art thou ? He answered : I am thy first-born son Esau. 
Isaac was struck with fear, and astonished exceedingly : and wonder- 
ing beyond what can b6 believed, said : Who is he, then, that even 
now brought me venison that he had taken, and I ate of all before 
thou camest ? and I have blessed him, and he shall be blessed. 
Esau having heard his father's words, roared out with a great cry : 
and being in a consternation, said: Bless me also, my father. And 
he said : Thy brother came deceitfully and got thy blessing. But he 
said again : Rightly is his name called Jacob : for he hath supplant- 
ed me, lo! this second time : my first-birthright he took away before, 
and now this second time he hath stolen away my blessing. And 
again he said to his father : Hast thou not reserved me also a bless- 
ing ? Isaac answered : I have appointed him thy lord, and have 
made all his brethren his servants: I have established him with 
corn and wine, and after this, what shall I do more for thee, my 
son ? And Esau said to him : Hast thou only one blessing, 
father ? I beseech thee bless me also. And when he wept with a 
loud cry, Isaac being moved, said to him : In the fat of the earth, 
and in the dew of heaven from above, shall thy blessing be. Thou 
shalt live by the sword, and shalt serve thy brother : and the time 



86 The History of Jacob, ] 



A.M. 22S3 
A M. 2315 



shall come, when thou shalt shake off, and loose his yoke from thy 
neck " (Gen. xxvii.) 

6. Isaac lived one hundred and eighty years, and was buried 
with his father Abraham by his sons, Jacob and Esau. Isaac is 
remarkable among the patriarchs for his strict observance of mono 
gamy. His life was homely and peaceful, his manners mild and 
amiable, and his habits inoffensive. His abode was never far re- 
moved from Canaan, so that he was not, like Abraham and Jacob, a 
wanderer from Mesopotamia to Egypt. There is a high and hea- 
venly dignity in the character of Isaac by which he stands aloof 
from Abraham and Jacob. lie may be called the St. John of the 
Patriarchs. 

QUESTIONS. 

How did Rebecca become the wife of Isaac? What do you know about 
Esau and Jacob ? How did Jacob procure the birthright of Esau? What 
do you know of Isaac's dealings with Abimelecb ? How did Jacob procure 
the blessing of his father? Give the character of Isaac. 




CHAPTER XX. 

HISTORY OF JACOB. A.M. 2288 A.M. 23 1 5. 

Y the advice of his mother, Jacob set out for his uncle 
Laban in Mesopotamia, to avoid the wrath of Esau, 
whose blessing he had procured. He was commanded 
by his father Isaac to marry within his own kindred, 
and take no wives from among foreigners. As he proceeded on his 
way, he was oppressed with a deep sleep, in which he saw a ladder 
reaching from earth to heaven, and the angels of God ascending and 
descending. There God renewed to him the promise made to 
Abraham and Isaac. He anointed a stone, and called the place 
Bethel. 

2. When Jacob reached Haran, he fell in love with Rachel, the 
younger daughter of Laban, and agreed to serve her father seven 



a-m': 23?5 } The History of Jacob. 8/ 

years, provided he would receive her in marriage. At the end of 
seven years, Laban substituted Lia for Rachel, by taking advantage 
of the darkness. Lia was blear-eyed, but Rachel was a lovely 
woman. Jacobs by agreeing to serve Laban seven years more, 
received Rachel at the end of seven days. Laban gave Zelpha as a 
handmaid to Lia, and Bala as one to Rachel. 

3. Lia became the mother of four sons in four successive years. 
Their names were Ruben, Simeon, Levi, and Juda. Rachel, seeing 
that she remained barren, gave her handmaid to Jacob. Lia, like- 
wise, when she ceased to bring forth children, gave her handmaid 
to Jacob. From these two wives and their handmaids were born 
the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel. The barren wife gave her 
handmaid to her husband, that she might be a mother, if not accord- 
ing to the flesh, at least in desire. Lia bore the four mentioned, 
together with Issachar and Zabulon. Bala was the mother of Dan 
and Nephthali. From Zelpha were born Gad and Aser. Rachel 
was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. 

4. The time of Jacob's service for his wives being ended, he 
served six years more for flocks. Though his father-in-law changed 
his visages ten times, the Lord, being favorable to Jacob, gave him 
flocks and wealth. At the end of twenty years, Jacob, obeying the 
command of God, set out with his wives, and children, and flocks, 
to return to Canaan. Laban, in whose absence he departed, pur- 
sued him, but,' being warned by God to do nothing harsh to Jacob, 
made a covenant widi him in Galaad. Jacob, being rescued from 
the hands of his father-in-law, was next thrown into consternation 
by the announcement that Esau was coming at the head of four 
hundred men. He set aside presents from all his flocks to propi- 
tiate his brother, and, Vvhen he met him, bowed himself humbly to the 
ground before him. Esau received him kindly, and returned to 
Seir. Jacob passed to Socoth, that is. Tents, where he built a 
house. While Jacob was awaiting the arrival of Esau, he wresded 
with the angel of the Lord, and had his name changed from Jacob 
to Israel, or, a man seeing God. 

5. Jacob loved the children of Rachel more than those of Lia, 



A.M." Ifxl \ ^^^^ History of Jacob, 89 

Zelpha, and Bala. Joseph, having received from God indications of 
his future greatness, became especially obnoxious to his brethren. 
They called him a dreamer. They were about to kill him at Sichem, 
but, being persuaded by Ruben, they cast him into a pit in the wil- 
derness. At the suggestion of Juda, he was taken from the pit, and 
sold to a company of Madianite merchants on their way to Egypt. 
Then taking the variegated garment which Jacob made for Joseph, 
they dipped it in the blood of a kid, and, bringing it home, said : '• A 
wild beast has devoured Joseph." 

6. As Juda was going to Thamnas, to the shearers of his sheep, he 
met Thamar, his daughter-in-law, sitting on the cross-way, and sinned 
with her. Ruben was guilty of crime with Ba'la, his father's concubine. 

7. Joseph was brought into Egypt by the Madianites, and sold to 
Putiphar, an Egyptian, and eunuch of King Pharao. Being beautiful 
in person, upright in conduct, exceedingly pious and reHgious, he was 
set over the whole house of Putiphar. A false accusation of Puti- 
phar's wife deprived him of that position, and placed him in prison. 
The keeper of the prison was pleased with the good conduct of 
Joseph, and placed all the other prisoners under his care. While he 
was taking care of the prisoners, he interpreted a dream of Pharao's 
chief butler and Pliarao's chief baker. In three days, he said, the 
butler would be restored to his place, and in three days the baker 
would be hanged. In three days, on Pharao's birthday, it happened 
according to the word of Joseph. Two years after, he interpreted 
two dreams for Pharao. Pharao dreamt that he saw seven fat kine 
come up out of the river, and feed in a meadow ; then he saw them 
followed by seven kine very lean and poor, and, though they ate up 
the seven fat kine, they were lean as before. Pharao, also, saw in a 
dream seven fine ears of corn come up upon one stem; then 
he saw seven ears more, very thin and blasted, which ate up the 
seven fine ears of corn. When no one in all Egypt could interpret 
the dreams of Pharao, the chief butler remembered Joseph, and told 
the king about him. Joseph was brought out of prison, inter- 
preted the dreams to signify seven years of plenty, followed by seven 
years of famine, and was constituted Governor of Egypt. 



go The History of Jacob. 



\ A.M. 2288 
A.M. 2315 



8. According to the interpretation of Joseph, the years of plenty 
and the years of famine came. During the years of famine only in 
Egypt could bread be found for sale. People flocked thither to pur- 
chase some. Jacob sent his ten elder sons, and kept Benjamin at 
home. Joseph, who had grown frOm a boy to be a man thirty- 
seven years old, and who spoke to his brethren by an interpreter, 
was not recognized by them. But Joseph knew his brothers, and, 
speaking harshly, called them spies. He ordered them to bring down 
their youngest brother, and kept Simeon as a prisoner; the money 
which they brought he caused, to be secretly placed in their sacks, 
and sent them away. Jacob was sorely grieved for Simeon, and, 
with much reluctance, allowed Benjamin to depart with his brothers 
into Egypt for more corn. When they reached Egypt, Joseph pre- 
pared them a dinner, and brought Simeon out of prison ; and he sent 
messes to each of them from before himself; but Benjamin's mess 
was five times larger than any of the others. Before they departed, 
Joseph secretly told his servant to put his silver cup in Benjamin's 
sack, and when they were gone to follow and bring Benjamin back 
for having stolen it. Juda bravely offered himself before Joseph to 
be a substitute for Benjamin and the servant of Joseph, saying that 
he had guaranteed the safe return of Benjamin, and he could not 
return and witness the calamity that would oppress his father. 
"Joseph could no longer refrain himself before many that stood 
by : whereupon he commanded that all should go out, and no stran- 
ger be present at their knowing one another. And he hfted up his 
voice with weeping: which the Egyptians, and all the house of 
Pharao heard. And he said to his brethren : I am Joseph : is my 
father yet living ? His brethren could not answer him, being struck 
with exceeding great fear. And he said mildly to them: Come 
nearer to me. And when they were come near him, he said : I 
am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Be not 
afraid, and let it not seem to you a hard case that you sold me into 
these countries : for God sent me before you into Egypt for your 
preservation. For it is two years since the famine began to be upon 
the land : and five years more remain, wherein there can be neither 



■^^' If^l \ The History of Jacob. 9 1 

ploughing nor reaping. And God sent me before, that you may be 
preserved upon the earth, and may have food to Hve. Not by your 
counsel was I sent hither, but by the will of God : who hath made 
me as it were a father to Pharao, and lord of his whole house, and 
governor in all the land of Egypt. Make haste and go ye up to my 
father, and say to him : Thus saith thy son Joseph : God hath made 
me lord of the whole land of Egypt : come down to me, linger not, 
and thou shalt dwell in the land of Gessen : and thou shalt be near 
me, thou and thy sons, and thy sons' sons, thy sheep, and thy herds, 
and all things that thou hast. And there I will feed thee (for there 
are yet five years of famine remaining), lest both thou perish, and thy 
house, and all things that thou hast. Behold your eyes, and the 
eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaketh 
to you. You shall tell my father of all my glory, and all things 
that you have seen in Egypt : make haste and bring him to me. 
And falling upon 'the neck of his brother Benjamin, he embraced 
him and wept : and Benjamin in like manner wept also on his neck. 
And Joseph kissed all his brethren, and wept upon every one 
of them : after which they were emboldened to speak to him " 
(Gen. xlv.) By the order of Pharao, Joseph gave them presents of 
wagons, and corn, and beasts of burden, and money. He then sent 
them back to Canaan to bring down Jacob with all his house- 
hold, flocks, and substance. 

9. Learning that Joseph was alive, and governor of Egypt, Jacob 
determined to go down and see him before he would die. In mak- 
ing the journey, he came to the Well of the Oath, and killed victims 
to the God of his father Isaac. The Lord spoke to Jacob, and 
promised that He would go down with him to Egypt, that He would 
make a great nation of him there, that He would bring him back 
again to Canaan, and that Joseph should put his hands on his eyes. 

10. Jacob was met in Gessen by Joseph, and by him introduced 
to Pharao. He stated to Pharao that he was one hundred and 
thirty years old, but was not yet as old as his fathers. Jacob blessed 
Pharao. Pharao gave to Jacob and his children the land of Ges- 
sen for a dwelling-place. 




%'i 






^ 



^ ? 



;j;;;^^5^} The History of Jacob. 93 

II, When Jacob was sick, Joseph came to visit him, bringing 
Manasses and Ephraim. Jacob adopted Ephraim and Manasses, 
set the younger, Ephraim, before the elder, Manasses, and, assigning 
a portion to Joseph beyond his brothers, foretold the return of his 
posterity to Canaan. Now, when the old man was about to die, he 
called his sons together to announce the things that were to come 
to pass in the last days. 

y^acob's Blessing on his Twelve Sons. 

Ruben, my first-born, thou art my strength, and the beginning of 
my sorrow : excelling in gifts, greater in command. Thou art pour- 
ed out as water, grow thou not; because thou wentest up to thy 
father's bed, and didst defile his couch. Simeon and Levi brethren, 
vessels of iniquity waging war. Let not my soul go into their coun- 
sel, nor my glory be in their assembly, because in their fury they 
slew a man, and in their self-will they undermined a wall. Cursed 
be their fury, because it was stubborn : and their wrath, because it 
was cruel : I will divide them in Jacob, and will scatter them in 
Israel. Juda, thee shall thy brethren praise : thy hand shall be on 
the necks of thy enemies : the sons of thy fathers shall bow down to 
thee. Juda is a lion's whelp : to the prey my son thou art gone 
up : resting thou hast couched as a lion, and as a lioness, who shall 
rouse him ? The sceptre shall not be taken away from Juda, nor 
a ruler from his thigh, till he come that is to be sent, and he shall 
be the expectation of nations. Tying his foal to the vineyard, and 
his ass, O my son, to the vine. He shall wash his robe in wine, and 
his garment in the blood of the grape. His eyes are more beautiful 
than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk. Zabulon shall dwell on 
the sea-shore, and in the road of ships, reaching as far as Sidon. 
Issachar shall be a strong ass lying down between the borders. He 
saw rest that it was good : and the land that it was excellent : and 
he bowed his shoulder to carry, and became a servant under tri- 
bute. Dan shall judge his people like another tribe in Israel. Let 
Dan be a snake in the way, a serpent in the path, that biteth the 
horse's heels thit his rider may fall backward. I will look for thy 



94 T^^^^ History of Jacob. \ ^ JI; ^^^^ 

SALVATION, O Lord. Gad, being girded, shall fight before him : and 
he himself shall be girded backward. Aser, his bread shall be fat, and 
he shall yield dainties to kings. Nephthali, a hart let loose, and 
giving words of beauty. Joseph is a growing son, a growing son 
and comely to behold : the daughters run to and fro upon the wall. 
But they that held darts provoked him, and quarrelled with him, 
and envied him. His bow rested upon the Strong, and the bands 
of his arms and his hands were loosed by the hands of the Mighty 
One of Jacob: thence he came forth a pastor, the stone of Israel. 
The God of thy father shall be thy helper, and the Almighty shall 
bless thee with the blessings of heaven above, with the blessings of 
the deep that lieth beneath, with the blessings of the breasts and 
of the womb. The blessings of thy father are strengthened with the 
blessings of his fathers : until the desire of the everlasting hills 
should come; may they be upon the head of Joseph, and upon the 
crown of the Nazarite among his brethren. Benjamin, a ravenous 
wolf, in the morning shall eat the prey, and in the evening shall 
divide the spoil " (Gen. xlix.) 

12. Then the patriarch commanded them to bury him with 
Abraham and Isaac in the double cave over against Mambre, in 
the land of Canaan, and he was gathered to his fathers. Seventy 
days did his children mourn him in the land of Egypt. Afterwards 
Joseph, with his brethren, the ancients of Pharao, and the elders of 
the land of Egypt, went up to Canaan with chariots and horse- 
men in their train, and, laying Jacob in the grave of his fathers, 
celebrated his exequies with a great and vehement lamentation full 
seven days. Jacob lived seventeen years in Egypt, and died at the 
age of one hundred and forty-seven. 

13. Abraham left Haran when he was seventy-five years old, and 
reached one hundred when Isaac was born; consequently, there 
were twenty-five years from the departure of Abraham from Haran 
to the birth of Isaac. Again, Isaac was sixty years old when Jacob 
was born, and Jacob was one hundred and thirty years old when he 
was presented to Pharao. Therefore, there were 25 -f- 60 +.130 
=215 years from the call of Abraham at Haran to the presentation 



:.c!' ;&rM8^ [ JacoUs Posterity in Egypt, 95 

of Jacob to Pharao. Now, by adding 215 to the Septuagint 3409 
or 3509, or the Hebrew 2023, or the Samaritan 2324, we find that 
Jacob went down to Egypt, according to the Septuagint, in the year 
A.M. 3624 or 3724, according to the Hebrew a.m. 2238, and accord- 
ing to the Samaritan a.m. 2539. 

14. The hatred of his brother Esau, the persecutions of his father- 
in-law Laban, the loss of his beloved Joseph, the taking away of 
Benjamin, his many years of labor, and his many leagues of travel, 
made Jacob a .man of extraordinary forbearance, patience, and be- 
nignity. While he must be set below his fathers Abraham and Isaac 
in some traits of character, he is in no wise their inferior in humihty 
and justice. 

QUESTIONS. 

What happened to Jacob on his journey to Mesopotamia? Who were 
Jacob's wives? Who were their offspring? What do you know about the 
departure of Jacob from Laban? What do you know about the meeting of 
Jacob and Esau? What happened to Joseph? What sins were Juda and 
Ruben guilty of? Give the history of Joseph in Egypt. Relate the deal- 
ings of Joseph with his brethren in Egypt. How did he make himself 
known to them? Describe the going-down of Jacob to Egypt. What took 
place at the interview between Jacob and Pharao? Which are Jacob's 
blessings on his twelve sons? Describe the exequies of Jacob. How do 
you show in what year of the world Jacob went down to Egypt ? Give the 
character of Jacob. 



CHAPTER XXI. 



CAPTIVITY OF JACOB'S POSTERITY IN EGYPT. A.M. 2315-2513. 

B.C. 1685-1487. 

HE settling of Jacob's posterity in the land of Gessen by 
the authority of Pharao marks the birth of the Hebrew 
people as a nation. The providence of God, which 
m had hitherto through so many ages guarded the long 
line of patriarchs, begins to form the children of Jacob into a great 




96 Jacob's Posterity in Egypt. \ i^]- ^^i:^ 

nation. The original Hebrew colony amongst the Egyptians coti- 
sisted of seventy souls. 

2. Encouraged by Joseph, and favored by Pharao, the Hebrews, 
who were naturally a people of virtue and industry, increased in 
wealth, and multiplied in numbers. Joseph was beloved by the 
Egyptians for his benign and economic administration, and was 
highly influential with the king, whose wealth, influence, and prero- 
gatives he largely extended. At the age of one hundred and ten 
years, Joseph died, leaving his people very wealthy and influential, 
very happy and numerous. He foretold their return to Canaan, 
and made them swear they would take his remains thither, and bury 
them with his fathers. His body was embalmed, and laid in a stone 
coffin. 

3. When Joseph and his brothers had all died in Egypt, there 
arose a new king that did not regard the services of Joseph. Seeing 
that the Hebrews were day by day multiplying exceedingly, he com- 
menced a systematic and remorseless persecution against them. He 
shut them up in work-prisons, and placed exacting masters over 
them. They were oppressed by overwork in brick-yards, in building 
the walls of cities, and in digging canals. They were insulted and 
mocked at by the Egyptians, and were made the outcasts and 
laughing-stock of the nation. But the more grinding and intolerable 
grew their bondage, and the harder their works in clay, and brick, and 
all manner of service with which they were overcharged, the more 
did they multiply. 

4. Then the king ordered the midwives of the Hebrews, whose 
names were Sephora and Phua, to destroy all male children born of 
the Israehtes, but to preserve the female alive. They made answer 
that the Hebrew women were skilful in the office of midwife, and 
could dispense with their services. The king now commanded his 
people to. throw all male offspring of the Hebrew race into the river 
Nile. 

5. While this war of extermination was going on against the pos- 
terity of Jacob, it is said that an Egyptian sacred scribe told the king 
that about that time " there would be a child born to the Israelites, 



B."- l&l-lll^ \ Jacob's Posterity in Egypt. 9 7 

wh#, if he were reared, would bring the Egyptian dominion low, and 
would raise the Israelites; that he would excel all men in virtue, 
and obtain a glory that would be remembered through all ages." 

6. It is difficult from the data in our possession to determine 
exactly how long the Israelites were held in Egyptian bondage. In 
Exodus xii. 40 and 41, it is stated that the abode of the children of 
Israel in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. St. Paul, Gal. 
iii. 17, explains this four hundred and thirty years as extending from the 
Promise to Abraham at Haran to the giving of the Law. Now, by 
adding four hundred and thirty years to any of the three versions, we 
find a date for the Exodus; that is, Hebrew, 2023 + 430^= a.m. 2453, 
Samaritan 2324 + 43o=a.m. 2754, and Septuagint 3409 or 3509 
+ 43o=A.M. 3839 or 3939. 

7. It is probable that the four hundred years mentioned in Gen. 
XV. 13, and Acts vii. 6 and 7, is a round number for four hundred 
and thirty. 

8. Again, there were two hundred and fifteen years from the call 
of Abraham at Haran to the interview of Jacob with Pharao. Levi 
lived one hundred and thirty-seven years, of which ninety-two were 
passed in Egypt. Moses was eighty years at the Exodus, and was 
born after Jacob's sons were gathered to their fathers. Supposing an 
interval of forty-three years between the death of Levi and the birth 
of Moses, we shall have the following table : 

Isaac was born after the call of Abraham . . .25 years. 



Isaac was at the birth of Jacob . 
Jacob went into Egypt at the age of . 
Levi lived after the going into Egypt 
Interval of captivity to Moses' birth . 
Age of Moses at the Exodus 



60 

130 

92 

43 

80 



Total length of time to the Exodus from the call of Abraham, 430 years. 

9. Some assert that Thare was one hundred and thirty years at 
the birth of Abraham; but to this are opposed the best manuscripts 
of the three above-mentioned versions. Further, we find that Abra- 
ham and Sara were considered barren before they reached one 
hundred years. In their own eyes, Isaac was a preternatural gift. 



98 Deliverance of God's People by Moses, {*;" ^Jg^ 

There is no reason, then, for supposmg Thare to be one hundred and 
thirty years old at the birth of Abraham. Least of all, is it con- 
sistent in those who follow the Hebrew Version to set down the 
call of Abraham on assumed Septuagint authority as taking place in 
the year a.m. 2083 instead of a.m. 2023. 

QUESTIONS. 

In what respect is the settling of Jacob's posterity in Gessen remarkable ? 
What was the condition of the Israelites during Joseph's lifetime? How 
were they persecuted after his death ? What is a certain Egyptian scribe 
accredited by Josephus with telling the king? In what year of the world 
would you place the Exodus according to the Septuagint, the Hebrew, and 
the Samaritan Versions ? What do you say of the 400 years' bondage men- 
tioned Gen. XV. 13 and Acts vii. 6 and 7? How would you show in a 
table the 430 years from Abraham's call to the Exodus ? What was the 
probable age of Thare at the birth of Abraham ? 




CHAPTER XXII. 

DELIVERANCE OF GOD'S PEOPLE BY AIOSES. — A.M. 25 13. B.C. 1487. 

HE children of Israel having sojourned two hundred 
and fifteen years in Egypt, their numbers having in- 
creased from a colony of a few famiHes to a nation of 
six hundred thousand, besides women and children, 
the cry of their sorrow having reached unto the ears of God, the 
Lord remembered Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and determined 
to go down to Egypt, and rescue His people from the bondage of 
Pharao. He chose for His instrument Moses, of whom, as the 
first Bible historian, I have already spoken. Moses was now in 
his eightieth year, and was attending to the flocks of his father-in- 
law, Jethro, in the inner parts of the desert, at Horeb, the mountain 
of God. 

2. The call of Moses to be the deliverer, lawgiver, ruler, and 
prophet of Israel is thus stated in the Bible (Exod. ch. iii.) : " And 
the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush : 



B.C.' 1487} Deliverance of God'' s People by Moses. 99 

and he saw that the bush was on fire, and was not burnt. And Moses 
said : I will go, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 
And when the Lord saw that he went forward to see, He called to 
him out of the midst of the bush, and said : Moses, Moses. And 
he answered : Here I am. And He said : Come not nigh hither, 
put off the shoes from thy feet : for the place, whereon thou stand- 
est, is holy ground. And He said : I am the God of thy father, the 
God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Moses 
hid his face : for he durst not look at God. And the Lord said to 
him '. I have seen the affliction of my j^eople in Egypt, and I have 
heard their cry because of the rigor of them that are over the 
works : and knowing their sorrow, I am come down to deliver 
them out of the hands of the Egyptians, and to bring them out of 
that land into a good and spacious land, into a land that floweth 
with milk and honey, to the places of the Canaanite, and Hethite, 
and Amorrhite, and Pherezite, and Hevite, and Jebusite. - For the 
cry of the children of Israel is come unto Me : and I have seen their 
affliction, wherewith they are oppressed by the Egyptians. But 
come, I will send thee to Pharao, that thou mayest bring forth My 
people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. And Moses said to 
God : Who am I that I should go to Pharao, and should bring forth 
the children of Israel out of Egypt ? And He said to him : I will 
be with thee: and this thou shalt have for a sign, that I have sent 
thee : When thou shalt have brought My people out of Egypt, thou 
shalt offer sacrifice to God upon this mountain. Moses said to God : 
Lo I shall go to the children of Israel, and say to them : The God of 
your fathers hath sent me to you. If they shall say to me : What is 
His name ? what shall I say to them ? God said to Moses : I am 
WHO AM. He said : Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel : 
He who is, hath sent me to you. And God said again to Moses : 
Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel : The Lord God of 
your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God 
of Jacob, hath sent me to you : this is My name for ever, and this is 
My memorial unto all generations. Go, and gather together the 
ancients of Israel, and thou shalt say to them : The Lord God of 



loo Deliverance of God's People by Moses. {j.-^'^Jg^ 

your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God 
of Jacob, hath appeared to me, saying: Visiting I have visited 
you, and I have seen all that hath befallen you in Egypt, and I 
have said the word to bring you forth out of the affliction of Egypt, 
into the land of the Canaanite, and Hethite, and Amorrhite, and 
Pherezite, and Hevite, and Jebusite, to a land that floweth with 
milk and honey. And they shall hear thy voice : and thou shalt 
go in, thou and the ancients of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and 
thou shalt say to him : The Lord God of the Hebrews hath called 
us. We will go three days' journey into the wilderness, to sacrifice 
unto the Lord our God. But I know that the king of Egypt will 
not let you go, but by a mighty hand. For I will stretch forth My 
hand, and will strike Egypt with all My wonders, which I will do 
in the midst of them : after these he will let you go. And I will 
give favor to this people, in the sight of the Egyptians ; and when 
you go forth, you shall not depart empty, but every woman shall 
ask of her neighbor and of her that is in her house, vessels of 
silver and of gold, and raiment, and you shall put them on your 
sons and daughters, and shall spoil Egypt." 

3. The Lord gave Moses three signs to prove his mission to Israel. 
First, He changed a rod which Moses held in his hand into a ser- 
pent, and rechanged it into a rod. Secondly, He ordered Moses to 
put his hand into his bosom, and, when it was taken out, it was 
leprous as snow; on replacing it, the flesh became as usual. 
Thirdly, He stated that, v/hen Moses would pour the river water on 
the dry land, it would become blood. On receiving a promise 
from God that his brother Aaron would accompany him, Moses re- 
turned to Jethro, and set out with his family for Egypt. The Lord 
said to Aaron : Go into the desert to meet thy brother Moses. 

4. When Moses and Aaron reached Egypt, the elders and the 
people of Israel believed and adored God in thankfulness ; but the 
Lord hardened the heart of Pharao, that the power of the God of 
Israel might be known among men. . Pharao oppressed the Israelites 
with heavier afflictions and harder labors on account of the mission 
of Moses. His heart was hardened the more when he saw Egyptian 



B.cV 1487 \ Deliverance of God's People by Moses. 10 1 

magicians imitate some signs of Moses, such as the conversion of 
Aaron's rod into a serpent, though Aaron's rod ate up the rods of 
the magicians. The Lord then said to Moses : Behold I have ap- 
pointed thee the God of Pharao ; and Aaron, thy brother, shall be 
thy prophet. 

5. Now followed ten plagues to compel the king to let God's 
people go. 

First Plague. 

The Lord also said to Moses : Say to Aaron, Take thy rod, and" 
stretch forth thy hand upon the waters of Egyjlt, and upon their 
rivers, and streams and pools, and all the ponds of waters, that they 
may be turned into blood : and let blood be in all the land of Egypt, 
both in vessels of wood and of stone. And Moses and Aaron did 
as the Lord had commanded : and lifting up the rod he struck the 
water of the river before Pharao and his servants : and it was turned 
into blood. And the fishes, that were in the river, died: and the 
river corrupted, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the 
river, and there was blood in all the land of Egypt. And the magi- 
cians of the Egyptians with their enchantments did in like manner ; 
and Pharao's heart was hardened, neither did he hear them, as the 
Lord had commanded. 

Second Plague. 
And the Lord said to Moses : Go in to Pharao, and thou shalt 
say to him : Thus saith the Lord : Let My people go to sacrifice to 
Me. But if thou wilt not let them go, behold I will strike all 
thy coasts with frogs, and the river shall bring forth an abundance 
of frogs, which shall come up, and enter into thy house, and thy 
bed-chamber, and upon thy bed, and into the houses of thy serv- 
ants, and to thy people, and into thy ovens, and into the remains of 
thy meats; and the frogs shall come' in to thee, and to thy people,, 
and to all thy servants. And the Lord said to Moses: Say to 
Aaron: Stretch forth thy hand upon the streams and upon the 
rivers and the pools, and bring forth frogs upon the land of Egypt. 
And Aaron stretched forth his hand upon the waters of Egypt, and 



I02 Deliverance of God's People by Moses, |b.?' 1487 

the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. And the magi- 
cians also by their enchantments did in like manner, and they 
brought forth frogs upon the land of Egypt. But Pharao called 
Moses and Aaron, and said to them : Pray ye to the Lord to take 
away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the 
people go to sacrifice to the Lord. Then Moses and Aaron went 
forth, and prayed to the Lord that the frogs might depart, and on the 
morrow the land of Egypt was free from the plague of frogs. Pha- 
rao, however, refused to let Israel go, and then came the 

Third Plagiie. 
And the Lord said to Moses : Say to Aaron : Stretch forth thy 
rod, and strike the dust of the earth, and may there be sciniphs in 
all the land of Egypt. And they did so. And Aaron stretched 
forth his hand, holding the rod; he struck the dust of the earth, 
and there came sciniphs on men and on beasts; all the dust of the 
earth was turned into sciniphs through all the land of Egypt. And 
the magicians with their enchantments practised in like manner, to 
bring forth sciniphs, and they could not : and there were sciniphs as 
well on men as on beasts. And the magicians said to Pharao : 
This is the finger of God. And Pharao's heart was hardened, and 
he hearkened not unto them, as the Lord had commanded. 

Fourth Plague. 
The Lord also said to Moses: Arise early, and stand before 
Pharao, for he will go forth to the waters ; and thou shalt say to 
him : Thus saitli the Lord : Let My people go to sacrifice to Me. 
But if thou wilt not let them go, behold I will send in upon thee, 
;and upon thy servants, and upon thy houses all kind of flies : and 
the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with flies of divers kinds, 
and the whole land wherein they shall be. In the land of Gessen 
there shall be no flies. And I will put a division between My people 
and thy people : to-morrow this sign shall be. And the Lord did 
so. Then Pharao consented to let God's people go ; but, as soon 
as the plague had been removed at the prayer of Moses, his heart 
was again hardened. 



Bc'' 148? [ Deliverance of God's People by Moses. 103 

Fifth Plague. 
And the Lord said to Moses : Go in to Pharao, and speak to him : 
Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews : Let My people go to 
sacrifice to Me. But if thou refuse, and withhold them still, behold 
My hand shall be upon thy fields, and a very grievous murrain upon 
thy horses, and asses, and camels, and oxen, and sheep. And the 
Lord will make a wonderful difference between the possessions of 
Israel and the possessions of the Egyptians, that nothing at all shall 
die of those things that belong to the children of Israel. And the 
Lord appointed a time saying: To-morrow will the Lord do this 
thing in the land. The Lord therefore did this thing the next day. 
All the beasts of the Egyptians died, but of the beasts of the chil- 
dren of Israel there died not one. And Pharao sent to see, and 
there was not anything dead of that which Israel possessed. And 
Pharao's heart was hardened, and he did not let the people go. 

Sixth Plague. 

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron : Take to you handfuls 
of ashes out of the chimney, and let Moses sprinkle it in the air in 
the presence of Pharao. And be there dust upon all the land of 
Egypt, for there shall be boils and swelling blains both in men and 
beasts, in the whole land of Egypt. And they took ashes out of the 
chimney, and stood before Pharao, and Moses sprinkled it in the air, 
and there came boils with swelling blains in men and beasts. Neither 
could the magicians stand before Moses for the boils that were upon 
them, and in all the land of Egypt. And the Lord hardened Pharao's 
heart, and he hearkened not unto them, as the Lord had spoken to 
Moses. 

Seventh Plague. 

And the Lord said to Moses : Arise in the morning, and stand 
before Pharao, and thou shalt say to him: Thus saith the Lord the 
God of the Hebrews : Let My people go to sacrifice to Me. For I 
will at this time send all My plagues upon thy heart,, and upon thy 
servants, and upon thy people : that thou mayest know there is none 
like Me in all the earth. For now I will stretch out My hand to 



T04 Deliverance of God's People by Moses. -Jb ;'• \f^= 

strike thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou shalt perish 
from the earth. When Moses had stretched forth his hand to 
heaven, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightnings running along 
the ground, such as had not been known in Egypt. At the prayer 
of Moses, this plague ceased, but^the heart of Pharao was another 
time hardened. 

Eighth Flagiie. 

And the Lord said to Moses : Stretch forth thy hand upon the 
land of Egypt unto the locust, that it come upon it, and devour 
every herb that is left after the hail. And Moses stretched forth his 
rod upon the land of Egypt ; and the Lord brought a burning 
wind all that day and night; and when it was morning, the burning 
wind raised the locusts. And they came up over the whole land of 
Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of the Egyptians innumerable, 
the like as had not been before that time, nor shall be hereafter. 
And they covered the whole face of the earth, wasting all things. 
And the grass of the earth was devoured, and what fruits soever 
were on the trees, which the hail had left : and there remained not 
anything that was green on the trees, or in the herbs of the earth 
in all Egypt. Wherefore Pharao in haste called Moses and Aaron, 
and said to them : I have sinned against the Lord your God, and 
against you. But now forgive me my sin this time also, and pray to 
the Lord your God, that He take away from me this death. And 
Moses going forth from the presence of Pharao, prayed to the 
Lord, and He made a very strong wind to blow from the west, 
and it took the locusts and cast them into the Red Sea. There 
remained not so much as one in all the coasts of Egypt. And the 
Lord hardened Pharao's heart, neither did he let the children 
of Israel go. 

Ninth Plague. 

And Moses stretched forth his hand towards heaven, and there 
came horrible darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. No 
man saw his brother, nor moved himself out of the place where he 
was j but wheresoever the children of Israel dwelt, there was light. 



B."'?487^ Deliverance of God's People by Moses, 105 

And Pharao called Moses and Aaron, and said to them : Go, sacri- 
fice to the Lord ; let your sheep only, and herds remain ; let your 
children go with you, Moses said : Thou shalt give us also sacri-' 
fices and burnt-offerings, to the Lord our God. Ail the flocks shall 
go with us : there shall not a iioof remain of them, for they 
are necessary for the service of the Lord our God, especially as we 
know not what must be offered till we come to the very place. 
And the Lord hardened Pharao's heart, and he would not let them 
go. And Pharao said to Moses : Get thee from me, and beware 
thou see not my face any more : in what day soever thou shalt come 
in my sight, thou shalt die. Moses answered : So shall it be as thou 
hast spoken, I will not see thy face any more. 

Tenth Plague. 

And Moses called all the ancients of the children of Israel, and 
said to them : Go take a lamb by your families, and sacrifice the 
Phase. Dip a bunch of hyssop in the blood that is at the door, 
and sprinkle the transom of tlie door therewith, and both the door 
cheeks; let none of you go out of the door of his house till morning, 
for the Lord will pass through, striking the Egyptians ; and when 
He shall see the blood on the transom, and on both the posts, He 
will pass over the door of the house, and not sufier the destroyer to 
come into your houses and to \\Mx\.yoic. Thou shalt keep this thing 
as a law for thee and thy children for ever. And when you have 
entered into the land which the Lord will give you as He hath 
promised, you shall observe these ceremonies. And when your chil- 
dren shall say to you : What is the meaning of this service ? you 
shall say to them: It is the victim of the passage of the Lord, when 
He passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, strik- 
ing the Egyptians, and saving our houses. And the people bowing 
themselves adored. And the children of Israel going forth did as 
the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. And it came to pass 
at midnight, the Lord slew every first-born in the land of Egypt, 
from the first-born of Pharao, who sat on his throne, unto the first- 
born of the captjve woman that was in the prison, and all the first- 




^ &: 5^ 



« a s: 

in 
111 



^ 



^ ^ ■^ 



t» <j « 



J.cin^U Deliverance of God's People by Moses, 107 

born of cattle. And Pharao arose in the night, and all his servants, 
and all Egypt ; and ■ there arose a great cry in Egypt, tor there was 
not a house wherein there lay not one dead. And Pharao calling 
Moses and Aaron, in the night, said: Arise and go forth from among 
my i)eople, you and tl>e children of Israel : go, sacrifice to the Lord 
as you say. Your sheep and herds take along with you, as you de- 
manded, and departing bless me. And the Egyptians pressed the 
people to go forth out of the land speedily, saying : We shall all die. 
The people, therefore, took dough before it was leavened, and, tying 
it in their cloaks, put it on their shoulders. And the children of 
Israel did as Moses had commanded; and they asked of the Egyp- 
tians vessels of silver and gold, and very much raiment. And the 
Lord gave favor to the people in the sight of the Egyptians, so that 
they lent unto them : and they stripped the Egyptians. 

6. Eor memory's sake, I put the plagues into rhyme, thus: 

The waters change to blood ; next, frogs arise ; 
Next come the sciniphs ; ngxt, dust turns to flies; 
Lo ! murrain stakes the beasts, Lut Gebsen's free! 
Lo ! boils beset the men, save, Israel, thee ! 
Then fires the thundering hail ; then locusts bite ; 
Then come th-ee days ot one unbroken night; 
The first-born's midnight death, from cot to throne, 
Winds up ten plagues that make Egyptians moan. 

7. Thus freed from bondage by the mighty hand of the God of 
Israel, under the leadership of Moses, God's people set out at early 
morn from Ramesse for the Promised Land. Thence they marched 
to Socoth, and from Socoth to Etham, where they encampetl. Re- 
turning by the direction of God, they pitched their tents at Phiha- 
hiroth, near the Red Sea, over against Beelsephon. Here they were 
overtaken by Pharao with all his army ; but the pillar of a cloud 
which guided the Israelites went from the fore part and rested all night 
between the host of the Lord and the army of the Egyptians. When 
Moses stretched his hand over the sea, the Lord sent a burning wind 
which blew all night, and caused the waters of the sea to stand like 
walls on either hand, leaving a dry passage for the Israelites. When 
the host of Moses had passed the sea, Moses stretched out his hand: 
the returning waters engulfed Pharao and his captains, and chariots, 



io8 Deliverance of God'' s People by Moses. ■{ tc!" 1487 ' 

and army. There was no Egyptian escaped .to tell the fate of the 
proud persecutors of God's people. 

8. And when Israel saw itself delivered out of the hands of 
Pharao, and beheld the Egyptians dead on the sea-shore, it recog- 
nized the mighty hand of God, and believed in His servant Moses. 
Moses composed a hymn of triumph in Hebrew hexameter, which 
the children of Israel sang, and Mary the prophetess, the sister of 
Aaron, assisted by the women of Israel, accompanied with timbrels 
and dances. Here are the words of this magnificent piece of 
poesy : " Let us sing to the Lord : for He is gloriously magnified, 
the horse and the rider He hath thrown into the sea. The Lord is 
my strength and my praise, and He is become salvation to me : He 
is my God, and I will glorify Him : the God of my father, and I will 
exalt Him. The Lord is as a man of war : Almighty is his name. 
Pharao's chariots and his army He hath cast into the sea : his 
chosen captains are drowned in the Red Sea. The depths have 
covered them, they are sunk to the bottom like a stone. Thy right 
hand, O Lord, is magnified in strength : Thy right hand, O Lord, 
hath slain the enemy. And in the multitude of Thy glory Thou hast 
put down Thy adversaries : Thou hast sent Thy wrath, which hath 
devoured them hke stubble. And with the blast of thy anger the 
waters were gathered together : the flowing water stood, the depths 
were gathered together in the midst of the sea. The enemy said : I 
will pursue and overtake, I will divide the spoils, my soul shall have 
its fill. I will draw my sword, my hand shall slay them. Thy wind 
blew, and the sea covered them : they sunk as lead in the mighty 
waters. Who is like to Thee, among the strong, O Lord ? who is 
like to Thee, glorious in holiness, terrible and praiseworthy, doing 
wonders. Thou stretchedst forth Thy hand, and the earth swallowed 
them. In Thy mercy Thou hast been a leader to the people which 
Thou hast redeemed: and in Thy strength Thou hast carried them to 
Thy holy habitation. Nations rose up, and were angry : sorrows 
took hold on the inhabitants of Philisthiim. Then were the princes 
of Edom troubled, trembling seized on the stout men of Moab : all 
the inhabitants of Canaan became stifi". Let fear and dread fall 



The Journey to Mount Sinai. 109 

upon them, in the greatness of Thy arm : let them become immov- 
able as a stone, until Thy people, O Lord, pass by, until this Thy 
people pass by, which Thou hast possessed. Thou shalt bring them 
in, and plant them in the mountain of Thy inheritance, in Thy most 
firm habitation, which Thou hast made, O Lord : Thy sanctuary, O 
Lord, which Thy hands have established. The Lord shall reign for 
ever and ever. For Pharao went in on horseback with his chariots 
and horsemen into the sea : and the Lord brought back upon them 
the waters of the sea : but the children of Israel walked on dry 
ground in the midst thereof." 

QUESTIONS. 

Who was God's instrument in leading His people out of bondage? 
Describe in your own words the call of Moses. What signs did God give 
Moses? Who accompanied Moses on his mission to Egypt? What did 
Moses do on reaching Egypt ? What success did he have at first with 
Pharao? What miracles did the Egyptian magicians imitate? What 
plagues caused Pharao to give a simulated assent to the departure of the 
Israelites ? Give in your own words the substance of the Scriptural narra- 
tive on each of the ten plagues. Give the mnemonic verses for the 
plagues. What is the Pasch? Describe the journey of the Hebrews to the 
Red Sea. Describe the passage of the Red Sea, the destruction of the 
Egyptians, and the joy of the Jews. What is the substance of Moses' 
canticle? Write it out in your own words. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE JOURNEY TO MOUNT SINAI, AND THE DELIVERY OF THE LAW. 

HE waves of the Red Sea closed upon the hosts of 
an idolatrous people, but a stiff-necked nation stood 
wondering by its shore. Their thanksgiving being 
over, they marched three days through the wilderness 
of Sur, and came to Mara. Here they murmured because the 
waters were bitter, saying : What shall we drink ? Moses cast 
a tree into the waters, which, whether by a natural or supernatural 
power, made them sweet and palatable. Thence they were led to 








^ "Ss 












The Journey to Mount Sinai. 1 1 1 

Ellm, where they camped by twelve fountains of water and seventy 
pahn trees. From Elim they passed by an arm of the Red Sea, and 
came into the desert of Sin. The food which they had brought 
from Egypt failed, and the people murmured. The Lord sent them 
quails in the evening, and rained down manna from heaven in the 
morning. 

2. The Lord commanded them to collect the manna in the 
morning, to collect the measure of one gomor eadi day, not to pre- 
serve any for the following day, to collect a double measure the day 
before Sabbath, and directed that, after the building of the tabernacle, 
one gomor of manna should be placed in it by Aaron, and kept as a 
memorial before the Lord unto generations. The taste of manna 
was that of flour mixed with honey. On this food the Israelites 
subsisted for forty years. 

3. Having rested at Daphea and Alus, they came into Raphidim. 
Here a fierce murmuring arose against Moses because there was no 
water. Taking the rod with which he struck the sea, Moses, at the 
command of God, struck the rock of Horeb, and water flowed to tlie 
people. Here the Israelites fought their first battle after leaving 
Egypt ; for " Amalec came, and fought against Israel in Raphidim. 
And Moses said 'to Josue : Choose out men, and go out and fight 
against Amalec : to-morrow I will stand on the top of the hill, hav- 
ing the rod of God in my hand. Josue did as Moses had spoken, 
and lie fought against Amalec : but Moses and Aaron and Hur 
went up upon the top of the hill. And when JNIoses lifted up his 
hands, Israel overcame : but if he let them down a little, Amalec 
overcame. And Moses' hands were heavy: so they took a stone, 
and put it under him, and he sat on it : and Aaron and Hur stayed up 
his hands on both sides. And it came to pass that his hands were 
not weary until sunset. And Josue put Amalec and his people to 
flight by the edge of the sword. And the Lord said to Moses : 
Write this for a memorial in a book, and dehver it to the ears 
ot Josue : for I will destroy the memory of Amalec from under 
heaven. And Moses built an altar: and called the name thereof, 
The Lord My Exaltadon, saying : Because the hand of the throne 



1 1 2 The Journey to Mount Sinai, 

of the Lord, and the war of the Lord, shall be against Amalec, from 
generation to generation." Here, too, Moses was met by Jethro, his 
father-in-law, a priest of Madian, and by Sephora, the wife of Moses? 
who had been sent back, and her two sons, Gersam and Eliezer. And 
when Jethro had learned how Moses ruled the people, he said: 
" Thou are spent with fooHsh labor, both thou and this people that 
is with thee: the business is above thy strength; thou alone canst 
not bear it. But hear my words and counsels, and God shall be 
with thee. Be thou to the people in those things that pertain to 
God, to bring their words to Him; and to show the people the cere- 
monies and the manner of worshipping, and the way wherein they 
ought to walk, and the work that they ought to do. And provide 
out of all the people able men such as fear God, in whom there is 
truth, and that hate avarice, and appoint of them rulers of thousands, 
and of hundreds, and of fifties, and of tens, who may judge the 
people at all times ; and, when any great matter soever shall fall out, 
let them refer it to thee, and let them judge the lesser matters only; 
that so it may be lighter for thee, the burden being shared out unto 
others. If thou doest this, thou shalt fulfil the commandment of 
God, and shalt be able to bear His precepts, and all this people shall 
return to their places with peace." And when Moses heard this, he 
did all things that had been suggested unto him ; and, choosing able 
men out of all Israel, he appointed them rulers of the people, rulers 
over thousands, and over hundreds, and over fifties, and over tens." 

4. In the third month of the departure from Egypt, theycame into 
the desert of Sinai, and encamped over against Mount Horeb. On 
the summit of Mount Sinai, which is also called Horeb, situate in 
the desert of Arabia, the Law was proclaimed. Here all the prepa- 
rations necessary for the worship of God in the desert were perfected. 
Here the Israelites rested nearly a year. 

5. Now, before the delivery of the Law, the Lord spoke to Moses, 
saying that He would make the Hebrews a priestly kingdom and a 
holy nation, if they would observe His commands. They answered : 
What the Lord hath spoken, that we will do. Moses then com- 
manded them to sanctify themselves, to wash their garments, to ab- 



The Journey to Mount Sinai. 113 

stain from communication with their wives, and, under pain of death, 
not to pass certain Umits of the mountain. On the morning of the 
third day, thunders began to be heard on the mountain, lightning 
was seen to flash, a very thick cloud was visible round the summit, 
and a trumpet was heard sounding very loud. Moses led forth the 
people to meet the Lord ; and they saw Mount Sinai smoking like 
a furnace and very terrible to behold, because the Lord was come 
down on it in fire; and they heard the sound of the trumpet grow 
louder and louder, and longer and longer. Moses spoke, and the 
Lord answered, calling him to the surnmit. The Lord commanded 
Moses that the people pass not the prescribed limits, lest they die. 
Then amid voices and flame, and the sound of the trumpet, and the 
mount smoking, the people being terrified and struck with fear, the 
Lord spoke 

The Ten Commandmejiis. 

I. I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of 
Egypt and out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt not have 
strange gods before me. Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven 
thing, nor the likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or in the 
earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the waters under the 
earth. Thou shalt not adore them, nor serve them : I am the Lord 
thy God, mighty, jealous, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon 
the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate 
me, and showing mercy unto thousands to them that love me, and 
keep my commandments. 

IL Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain ; 
for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that shall take the name of 
the Lord his God in vain. 

IIL Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day. Six days 
shalt thou labor, and shalt do all thy works. But on the seventh 
day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God : thou shalt do no work on 
it, thou nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy 
maid-servant, nor thy beast, nor the stranger that is within thy 
gates ; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the sea, 



I J4 The Journey to Mount Sinai 

and all things that are in them, and rested on the seventh day,; 
therefore the Lord blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it. 

IV. Honor thy father and thy mother, that thou may est be long- 
lived upon the land which the Lord thy God will give thee. 

V. Thou shalt not kill. 

VI. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

VII. Thou shalt not steal. 

VIII. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 

IX. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. 

X. Thou shalt not desire his house, nor his servant, nor his hand- 
maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is his. 

They are abbreviated for catechetical uses thus : 

I. I am the Lord^thy God. Thou shalt not have strange gods 
before me. 

II. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. 

III. Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath day. 

IV. Honor thy father and thy mother. 

V. Thou shalt not kill. 

VI. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

VII. Thou shalt not steal. 

VIII. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 

IX. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. 

X. Th ;u shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods. 

6. In addition to the moral code which is contained in the Ten 
Commandments, a ceremonial code to regulate the worship of the 
Jews, and a judicial code to direct their civil polity, were promul- 
gated at Mount Sinai. And when the people promised to observe 
all the commands they had heard, Moses built an altar at the foot 
of the mountain, supported by twelve columns, and situated between 
the twelve tribes of Israel and the Lord God. On it he offered holo- 
causts, and sacrificed pacific victims. The blood he divided into two 
parts. One-half he spilt upon the altar, and with the other half he 
sprinkled the people, saying : This is the blood of the Covenant 
which the Lord hath made with you concerning all His words. 
" Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abiu, and seventy of the 



The Jourfiey to Mount Sinai, 115 

ancients of Israel, went up. And they saw the God of Israel, and 
under His feet as it were a work of sapphire-stone, and as the 
heaven when clear. Neither did He lay His hand upon those of 
the children of Israel that retired afar off, and they saw God, and 
they did eat and drink. And the Lord said to Moses : Come up to 
me into the mount, and be there ; and I will give thee tables of 
stone, and the law, and the commandments which I have written, 
that thou mayest teach them. Moses rose up, and his minister Josue. 
And Moses, going up into the mount of God, said to the ancients : 
Wait ye here till we return to you. You have Aaron and Hur with 
you ; if any question shall rise, you shall refer it to them. And when 
Moses was gone up, a cloud covered the mount, and the glory of 
the Lord dwelt upon Sinai, covering it with a cloud six days ; and 
the seventh day He called him out of the midst of the cloud. And 
the sight of the glory of the Lord was like a burning fire upon the 
top 'of the mount, in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses, 
entering into the midst of the cloud, went up into the mountain ; 
and he was there forty days and forty nights." 

QUESTIONS. 

Describe the journey of the Israelites from the Red Sea to the desert of 
Sin? What commands did God give concerning manna? Tell the three 
principal events which took place at Raphidim. Give a description of the 
fight against Amalec. What did Jethro recommend to Moses ? What took 
place at Mount Sinai ? What preparations were made for receiving the 
Law ? Give a description of Mount Sinai at the deliver)"- of the Law, What 
codes were delivered ? Which are the two forms of the Ten Commandments? 
What was the sanction of the Law? Give a description of Mount Sinai as 
Moses ascended after the sanction. 




1 1 6 The Jews at Mount Sinai, \ ^ ^- ^5^3 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

THE JEWS AT MOUNT SINAI. A.M. 25 13. B.C. I487. 

HILE Moses was with the Lord on the summit of 
the mountain, the Jews, thinking, on account of his 
long delay, that he had perished amid the mountain 
crevices, or was devoured by wild beasts, or was con- 
sumed by fire, or was taken to God himself, demanded that Aaron 
should make them other gods- to take them quickly to the Promised 
Land. Fearing a sedition, Aaron took the ear-rings of the boys and 
girls, made a golden calf, and set it up to be worshipped. By the 
intercession of Moses on the mountain, the people were saved from 
utter destruction. Moses came down from the mountain with the 
tables of the Law in his hands ; but, when he saw the children of 
Israel worshipping the golden calf which Aaron had set up, he 
broke the tables, rebuked Aaron, threw down and pulverized the 
idol, and gave a mixture of the dast and water to the Israelites to 
drink. Then calling them that were the Lord's to follow him, he 
ordered the children of Levi to draw their swords, and, passing 
through the camp from gate to gate, put all transgressors to death. 
There perished that day twenty- three thousand men. 

2. He returned to the mountain, and, prostrate before the Lord, 
entreated Him in prayer to spare His people, and remember the pro- 
mises He had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He asked the 
Lord to give him a manifestation of His glory. God hid Moses in the 
hole of a rock, and gave him a view of His glory when He had pass- 
ed. After forty days on the mountain, Moses descended with a 
shining face of glory so that the Israelites could not endure to 
behold it. He brought with him new tables of the Law which were 
written by the finger of the living God, and immediately set about 
executing all things which the Lord spoke unto him. 

3. He numbered all those that were over twenty years old, and 
found that the census resulted in six hundred and three thousand 
five hundred and fifty men. A census of the Levites was taken by 



A M. 2513 I 

i',.c. 1487 r 



The Jews at Motuit Sinai. 1 1 7 



itself, of those from one month and upwards, resulting m twenty-two 
thousand souls. A census of the first-born males of all tribes re- 
sulted in twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three. The 
people responded with alacrity to the call of Moses, both by tax 
and donation. The tax at a side a head for those over twenty 
years amounted to one hundred talents and one thousand seven 
hundred and seventy-five sides. The donation amounted to twenty- 
nine talents and seven hundred and thirty sides of gold, together 
with seventy-two thousand talents and four hundred sides of brass. 
In fact, so great was the generosity of the Jews, and so ardent their 
desire to establish the worship of God, that Moses sent a crier 
through the tents announcing there was more than was necessary. 
The people also made offerings of violet, and purple, and scarlet, 
and fine linen, and goats' hair, and skins both red and violet, and 
oil, and spices, and incense, and all kinds of precious stones. 

4. Moses received from God a description of the several articles 
that were required for His worship. Beseleel, of the tribe of Juda, 
and Ooliab, of the tribe of Dan, were appointed by God as master- 
workmen over the making of all things. With them was the spirit 
of God, and wisdom, and understanding, and the knowledge of all 
manner of work. 

5. The articles which they had to make, with their descriptions, 
were these : 

The Tabernacle. 

" Thou shalt make," said the Lord, '• ten curtains of fine twisted 
linen, and violet, and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, diversified with 
embroidery. The length of one curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits ; 
the breadth shall be four cubits. All the curtains shall be of one mea- 
sure. Five curtains shall be joined one to another, and the other five 
shall be coupled together in like manner. Thou shalt make loops of 
violet in the sides and tops of the curtains, that they be joined one 
to another. Every curtain shall have fifty loops on both sides, 
so set on that one loop may be against another loop, and one may 
be fitted to the other. Thou shalt make also fifty rings of gold, 



iiS 



The yews at Mount Sinai. 



A.M. 2513 
B.C. 14S7 



wherewith the veils of the curtains are to be joined, that it may be 
made one tabernacle. Thou shalt make also eleven curtains 
of goats' hair, to cover the top of the tabernacle. The length of one 
hair curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth four; the measure 
of all the curtains shall be equal. Five of which thou shalt couple by 
themselves, and the six others thou shalt couple one to another, so 
ns to double the sixth curtain in the front of the roof. Thou shalt 
make also fifty loops in the edge of- one curtain, that it ma}' 




The Tabernacle. 



be joined with the other, and fifty loops in the edge of the other 
curtain, that it may be coupled with its fellow. Thou shalt make 
also fifty buckles of brass, wherewith the loops may be joined," that 
of all there may be made one covering. That which shall remain 
of the curtains that are prepared for the roof, to wit, one curtain that 
is over and above, with the half thereof thou shalt cover the back- 
side of the tabernacle. And there shall hang down a cubit on the 
one side, and another on the other side, which is over and above in 
the length of the curtains, fencing both sides of the tabernacle. 



A.M. 251B I 
B.C. 1487 ) 



The Jews at Mount Sinai. 119 



Thou shalt make also another cover to the roof of rams' skins dyed 
red, and over that again another cover of violet-colored skins. Thou 
shalt make also the boards of the tabernacle standing upright of 
setim-wood ; let every one of them be ten cubits in length, and in 
breadth one cubit and a half. In the sides of the boards shall be 
made two mortises, whereby one board may be joined to another 
board ; and after this manner shall all the boards be prepared ; of 
which twenty shall be in the south side southward ; for which thou 
shalt cast forty sockets of silver, that under every board may be put 
two sockets at the two corners. In the second side also of the taber- 
nacle that looketh to the north, there shall be twenty boards, having 
forty sockets of silver; two sockets shall be put under each board. 
But on the west side of the tabernacle thou shalt make six boards ; 
and again other two which shall be erected in the corners at the back 
of the tabernacle. And they shall be joined together from beneath 
unto the top, and one joint shall hold them all. The like joining 
shall be observed for the two boards also that are to be put in 
the corners. And they shall be in all eight boards, and their silver 
sockets sixteen, reckoning two sockets for each board. Thou shalt 
make also five bars of setim-wood, to hold together the boards on 
one side of the tabernacle, and five others on the other side, and as 
many at the west side ; and they shall be put along^by the midst of 
the boards from one end to the other. The boards also themselves 
thou shalt overlay with gold, and shalt cast rings of gold to be set 
upon them for places for the bars to hold together the board- work, 
which bars thou shalt cover with plates of gold. And thou shalt 
rear up the tabernacle according to the pattern that was showed 
thee in the mount. Thou shalt make also a veil of violet, and pur- 
ple,' and scarlet twice dyed, and fine twisted linen, wrought with 
embroidered work and goodly variety; and thou shalt hang it up 
before four pillars of setim-wood, which themselves also shall be 
overlaid with gold, and shall have heads of gold, but sockets of sil- 
ver; and the veil shall be hanged on with rings, and within it thou 
shalt put the ark of the testimony, and the sanctuary and the holy 
of hoHes shall be divided with it. And thou shalt set the propitia- 



120 



The Jews at Mount Sinai, 



A.M. 2513 
B.C. 1487 



tory upon the ark of the testimony in the holy of hoHes. And the 
table without the veil, and over against the table the candlestick in 
the south side of the tabernacle, for the table shall stand in the north 
side. Thou shalt also make to a hanging in the entrance of the taber- 
nacle of violet, and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, and fine twisted 
hnen, with embroidered work. And thou shalt overlay with gold five 
pillars of setim-wood, before which the hanging shall be drawn; 
their heads shall be of gold, and the sockets of brass. 

The Ark. 
Frame an ark of setim-wood, the length whereof shall be of two 
cubits and a half, the breadth a cubit and a half, the height likewise 




The Ark of the Covenant, 

a cubit and a half. And thou shalt overlay it with the purest gold 
within and without, and over it thou shalt make a golden crown 
round about, and four golden rings, which thou shalt put at the four 
corners of the ark; let two rings be on the one side, and two on the 
other. Thou shalt make bars also of setim-wood, and shalt overlay 
them with gold ; and thou shalt put them in through the rings that 



A.M. 2513 \ 
B.C. 1487 ) 



T/ie yews at Mount Sinai. 



121 



are in the sides of the ark, that it may be carried on them. And 
they shall be always in the rings, neither shall they at any time be 
drawn out of them. And thou shalt put in the ark the testimony 
which I will give thee. 

The Table with the Loaves of Propositio7i. 

The table shall be of setim-wood, two cubits in length, one cubit 
in breadth, and a cubit and a half high. It shall be overlaid with 




The Loaves 0/ Proposition. 



polished gold, and shall have a ledge with a polished crown four 
inches high, the same having another little golden crown. It shall 
have four golden rings, at the four corners, over the four legs. 
Upon the table shall always be the loaves of proposition. 



The Che7'nbi?n. 

Thou shalt make also two cherubim of beaten gold on the two 
sides of the oracle. Let one cherub be on the one side, and the 
other on the other. Let them cover both sides of the propitiatory, 



122 



The Jews at Mount Sinai, 



A.M. 2513 
B.C. 1487 



spreading their wings and covering the oracle, and let them look one 
towards the other, their faces being turned towards the propitiatory 
wherewith the ark«is to be covered, in which thou shalt put the 
testimony that I will give thee. Thence will I give orders, and will 
speak to thee over the propitiatory, and from the midst of the two 
cherubim which shall be upon the ark of the testimony, all things 
which I will command the children of Israel by thee. 

The Propitiatory. 
Thou shalt make also a propitiatory of the purest gold; the length 
thereof shall be two cubits and a half, and the breadth a cubit and 
a half. It shall serve as a mercy-seat, and it shall be a covering for 
the ark. 

The Candlestick 

shall be of the purest gold, with seven branches, three on one side 




The Golden Candlestick, 



and three on the other, with one in the centre. On the seven 
branches seven lamps shall burn. 



A M. 2Cil3 ' 
B.C. 1487) 



The Jews at Mount Sinai. 



12 



The Altar of Burnt-offerings 

which shall be a square of five cubits, and shall be three cubits 
high, shall be made of setim-wood. It shall have brass covered 
horns at the four corners, shall be empty, and shall have a grate and 




The Altar 0/ Holocausts. 

a hearth in the middle. It shall be carried by brass-covered bars 
of setim-wood ; and all vessels for its use shall be made of brass. 

The Coiwt of the Tabernacle 
shall be one hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and five cubits 
high. It shall be adorned with hangings of twisted linen, and pillars 
ornamented with silver and brass. 



The Vestmefits 

of the priest shall be a rational and an ephod, a tunic and a straight 
linen garment, a mitre and ^ girdle. They shall be made of gold, 
and purple, and violet, and scarlet twice-dyed, and fine linen, and 
shall be ornamented with precious stones.- 



124 



The Jews at Mount Senai, 



A.M. 2513 
B.C. 1487 




Press rf the Higfi-Priesi. 




Dresses of Priests. 



A.M 2513 
B.C. 1487 



The Jeivs at Mount Sinai 



125 



The Altar of Incense. 
Thou slialt make also an altar to burn incense, of setim-wood ; it 
shall be a cubit in length, and another in breadth, that is, four- 
square, and two cubits in height. Horns shall go out of the same. 
And thou shalt overlay it with the purest gold, as well the grate 
thereof as the walls round about, and the horns. And thou shalt 
make to it a crown of gold round about, and two golden rings 
under the crown on either side, tliat the bars may be put into them, 




The Altar 0/ Incense. 



and the altar be carried; and thou shalt make the bars also of 
setim-wood, and shalt overlay them with gold. And thou shalt set 
the altar over against the veil that hangeth before the ark of the 
testimony before the propitiatory wherewith the testimony is 
covered, where I will speak to thee. And Aaron shall burn sweet- 
smelling incense upon it in the morning. When he shall dress the 
lamps, he shall burn it; and when he shall place them in the even- 
ing, he shall burn an everlasting incense before the Lord throughout 
your generations. You shall not offer upon it incense of another 




S. ft 

I* 






u'c! 1487'!" ^^/^^' Jews at Motcnt Sinai. iij 

composition, nor oblation and victim, neither shall you offer liba- 
tions. Aaron shall pray upon the horns thereof once a year, with 
the blood of that which was offered for sin, and shall make atone- 
ment upon it in your generations. It shall be most holy to the 
Lord. 

6. When these and other articles belonging to the service of the 
tabernacle were completed, the tabernacle and altar and all their 
appurtenances were dedicated by the princes of the twelve tribes 
with gifts and victims through twelve days. Nahasson, the prince 
of the tribe of Juda, was the leader of all the princes. Aaron and 
his children were, according to the command of God, consecrated 
by Moses. 

7. The Lord was angry with Nadab and Abiu, and made an 
example and a warning of them before all Israel, because they dis- 
obeyed the Laws which He had proclaimed. These sons of Aaron, 
taking their censers, put fire therein, and incense on it, offering before 
the Lord strange fire, which was not commanded them. And fire 
coming out from the Lord destroyed them, and they died before the 
Lord. Moses said to Aaron : This is what the Lord hath spoken : 
I will be sancdfied in them that approach to Me, and I will be glo- 
rified in the sight of all the people. And when Aaron heard this, 
he held his peace. Moses called Misael and Elisaphan, the sons of 
Oziel. the uncle of Aaron, and said to them : Go and take away your 
brethren from before the sanctuary, and carry them without the 
camp. And they went forthwith and took them as they lay, vested 
with linen tunics, and cast them forth, as had been commanded 
them. Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his 
sons : Uncover not your heads, and rend not your garments, lest 
perhaps you die, and indignation come upon all the congregation. 
Let your brethren, and all the house of Israel, bewail the burning 
which the Lord has kindled. But you shall not go out of the 
door of the tabernacle, otherwise you shall perish, for the oil of 
the holy unction is on you. And they did all things according to 
the precept of Moses. 

8. When all things were perfected, a cloud covered the taber- 



128 Wanderings of God's People. j a.'c.' 1487-47 

nacle of the testimony, and the glory of the Lord filled it. 
Neither could Moses go into the tabernacle of. the covenant, the 
cloud covering all things, and the majesty of the Lord shining, for 
the cloud had covered all. If at any time the cloud removed from 
the tabernacle, the children of Israel went forward by their troops ; 
if it hung over, they remained in the same place. The cloud of 
the Lord hung over the tabernacle by day, and a fire by night, in the 
sight of all the children of Israel throughout all their mansions. 

QUESTIONS. . 

What took place while Moses was on the mountain with God ? What did 
Moses do after descending from the mountain? What was Moses' action 
on his second return to the mountain? What census did he make of the 
people? What taxes did he receive? What donations? Who were the 
artificers appointed by God? Give in your own words a description of the 
Tabernacle ? Of the Ark ? Of the Propitiatory and the Cherubim ? Of the 
table with the loaves of proposition? Of the Candlestick? Of the Altar? 
Of the court of the Tabernacle ? Which were the vestments of the priest ? 
What took place before the departure of the Israelites from Sinai? 



CHAPTER XXV. 




WANDERINGS OF GOD's PEOPLE UNDER MOSES IN THE DESERT. 
A.M. 2513 A.M. 2553. B.C. 1487 B.C. I447. 

N the twentieth day of the second month, in the second 
year of the departure from Egypt, the cloud was lifted 
up from the tabernacle, the silver trumpet sounded, and 
all Israel, by their troops, ensigns, and standards, and 
the houses of their kindred, began to be in motion. Round about 
the tabernacle were encamped the children of Levi; on the east side 
were the tribes of Juda, Issachar, and Zabulon, with one hundred 
and eighty-six thousand four hundred warriors; on the south side 
stood the tents of Ruben, Simeon, and Gad, containing one hundred 
and fifty-one thousand four hundred and fifty fighting men; on the 
west side were the camps of Ephraim, Manasses, and Benjamin, with 



487-47} Wanderings of God's People. 129 



A.M. 2513-53 \ 
B.C. 



one hundred and eight thousand one hundred men of war; on the 
north side were ordered the tribes of Dan, Aser, and Nephthah, with 
an army of one hundred and fifty-seven thousand six hundred. The 
ark was hfted up, and Moses said: Arise, O Lord, and let Thy 
enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee, flee from before 
Thy face ; and an army of six hundred and three thousand five 
hundred and fifty men began to march. ^ It must have been a grand 
and awful sight to witness the departure of a host numbering two or 
three millions of beings from Sinai, where the Lord had manifested 
His glory, His goodness, and His majesty. For three days the ark 
of the Lord went before them, and for three days the cloud 
of the Lord was over them, till they reached the wilderness of Pha- 
ran, where the cloud rested, and the tabernacle was set down, and 
Israel encamped, and Moses said: Return, O Lord, to the multi- 
tude of the host of Israel. 

2. Here there arose a murmuring against the Lord, and the fire 
of the Lord began to devour them that were at the uttermost part of 
the camp ; but the people cried to Moses, and, by the prayer of 
Moses, the fire was swallowed up. Here the Lord gave His Spirit to 
seventy men of the ancients, that they might assist Moses. Here, 
too, the people murmured against manna, and lusted after the fish and 
flesh, the melons and cucumbers, the leeks, the onions, and the gar- 
lic of Egypt. The Lord sent them quails in such abundance that 
they ate to satiety, caught disease, and died. They, therefore, called 
tliat place the Graves of Lust. 

3. Thence they marched to Haseroth, where Aaron and Mary spoke 
against Moses on account of his wife, Sephora the Ethiopian. The 
Lord was angry for the sake of His servant Moses, who was the 
meekest of men. Immediately He spoke to him, and to Aaron and 
Mary : Come out you three only^to the tabernacle of the covenant. 
And when they were come out, the Lord came down in the pillar 
of the cloud, and stood in the entry of the tabernacle, calling to 
Aaron and Mary. And when they were come. He said to them : 
Hear My words : If there be among you a prophet of the Lord, I 
will appear to him in a vision, or I will speak to him in a dream. 



1 30 Wanderings of God's People. \ J-^- j^J^IJ; 

But it is not so with My servant Moses, who is most faithful in all 
My house, for I speak to him mouth to mouth; and plainly, aiid not 
by riddles and figures, doth he see the Lord. Why, then, were you 
not afraid to speak ill of My servant Moses ? Mary was smitten 
with leprosy, and, though she was saved through the prayer of 
Moses, was cast outside the camp for seven days. When Mary was 
called again, the people marched from Haseroth, and pitched their 
tents in the desert of Pharan. 

4. From this encampment, Moses sent twelve spies into the Pro- 
mised Land, one from each tribe. After forty days, they returned, 
and brought with them a bunch of grapes on a lever borne by two 
men. They said the land flowed with milk and honey ; the fruits 
were splendid, as might be judged from the specimens they brought ; 
but the cities were walled and very strong, and the inhabitants a 
race of giants, especially the race of Enac, in comparison with whom 
the Israelites were as locusts. This testimony created a sedition 
amongst the people, and they murmured against God and Moses, say- 
ing : Would we had never left Egypt; would we had perished in the 
wilderness, rather than be led to fall by the sword of such nations, 
and leave our wives and children captives in their hands ! They 
attempted to choose another leader, and return to Egypt. Josue and 
Caleb, two of the spies, endeavored to allay the sedition, and called 
on them to rely on the promise of God and the weakness of their 
enemies. The Lord was exceedingly angry, and about to consume 
the people with pestilence, and make Moses the father of a mightier 
nation. Though Moses prayed for the people, and obtained for them 
forgiveness, God struck the ten authors of the sedition stone dead, 
and condemned all over twenty, except Caleb and Josue, to die in the 
wilderness after wandering forty years. This is the judgment of the 
Lord : " How long doth this wicked multitude murmur against Me ? 
I have heard the murmuringsof the children of Israel. Say therefore 
to them : As I live, saith the Lord: According as you have spoken 
in My hearing, so will I do to you. In the wilderness shall your 
carcasses lie. All you, that were numbered from twenty )^ears old 
and upward, and have murmured against Me, shall not enter into 



B.c^' 1487-47 f Wanderings of God's People. 1 3 1 

the land over which I h'fted up My hand to make you dwell there- 
in, except Caleb, the son of Jephone, and Josue, the son of Nun. 
But your children, of whom you said that they should be a prey to 
the enemies, will I bring in, that they may see the land which you 
have despised. Your carcasses shall lie in the wilderness. Your 
children shall wander in the desert forty years, and shall bear your 
fornication, until the carcasses of their fathers be consumed in the 
desert, according to the number of the forty days wherein you 
viewed the land : a year shall be counted for a day. And forty 
years you shall receive your iniquities, and shall know My revenge ; 
for as I have spoken, so will I do to all this wicked multitude that 
hath risen up against Me : in this wilderness shall it faint away and 
die." Therefore, all the men whom Moses had sent to view the 
land, and who at their return had made the whole multitude to 
murmur against him, speaking ill of the land that it was naught, 
died and were struck in the sight of the Lord. 

5. When the people heard this judgment, they mourned and said : 
Let us go up and take the land. Moses warned them of their de- 
struction, should they do so. But rising very early, they went up, 
and were overthrown by the Amalecite and Canaanite as far as 
Horma. 

6. This was at the fifteenth encampment after the exodus from 
Egypt, and was known as Rethma of Pharan. The names of the 
remaining encampments, down to the forty-second and last, are in the 
order of their wanderings : i6th Remmomphares, 17th Lebna, i8th 
Ressa, 19th Ceelatha, 20th Mount Sepher, 21st Arada, 22d Mace- 
loth, 23d Thahath, 24tli Thare, 25th Methca, 26th Hesmona, 27th 
Moseroth, 28th Benejaacan, 29th Mount Gadgad, 30th Jetebatha, 
31st Hebrona, 32d Asiongaber, 33d Cades of Sin, 34th Mount Hor 
in Edom, 35th Salmona, 36th Phunon, 37th Oboth, 38th Ijeabarim, 
39th Dibongad, 40th Helmondeblathaim, 41st Abarim, 42d Beth- 
simoth to Abelsatim along the Jordan, in the plains of the Moabites 
over against Jericho. 

7. This is a long and gloomy catalogue of encampments, along 
which, through nearly forty years, God scattered the bones of an 



132 Wanderings of God's People. \ J ^;- Jj^^-ss 

army numbering six hundred thousand men, together with many my- 
riads of females and children. From Pharan to the shore of the Red 
Sea and the mountains of Seir and Idumea, and back again to the 
banks of the Jordan, that enormous host was lost, amid many mur- 
murings, and fearful chastisements, and weary wanderings. I shall 
state the most important incidents of that unparalleled pilgrimage. 

8. Before pronouncing that terrible judgment on the Israelites at 
Rethma of Pharan, God said to Moses (Num. xiv. 25): "To-mor- 
row remove the camp, and return into the wilderness by way of the 
Red Sea." After the defeat of the rebellious Hebrews by the Amale- 
cite, the multitude that was with Moses stoned, by the command of 
God, a man they found gathering in the wilderness on the Sabbath 
day. Core, a Levite, Dathan and x\biron, Rubenites, and two hun- 
dred and fifty others, leading men of the synagogue, rose up against 
Moses and Aaron. Moses therefore, being very angry, said to the 
Lord: Respect not their sacrifices; Thou knowest that I have not 
taken of them so much as a young ass at any time, nor have injured 
any of them. And he said to Core : Do thou and thy congregation 
stand apart before the Lord to-morrow, and Aaron apart. Take 
every one of you censers, and put incense upon them, offering to the 
Lord two hundred and fifty censers ; let Aaron also hold his censer. 
When they had done this, Moses and Aaron standing, and had 
drawn up all the multitude against them to the door of the taber- 
nacle, the glory of the Lord appeared to them all. And the Lord, 
speaking to Moses and Aaron, said: Separate yourselves from 
among this congregation, that I may presently destroy them. They 
fell flat on their face, and said : O most mighty, the God of the spirits 
of all flesh, for one man's sin shall Thy wrath rage against all ? And 
the Lord said to Moses: Command the whole people to separate 
-themselves from the tents of Core, and Dathan, and Abiron. And 
Moses arose, and went to Dathan and Abiron, the ancients of Israel 
following him. He said to the multitude: Depart from the tents 
of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be involved 
in their sins. And when they were departed from their tents round 
about, Dathan and Abiron, coming out, stood in the entry of their 



u." 1487-47} Wand e7'ings of God's People. 133 

pavilions with their wives and children, and all the people. And 
Moses said : By this you shall know that the Lord hath sent me to 
do all things that you see, and that I have not forged them of my 
own head. If these men die the common death of men, and if they 
be visited with a plague, wherewith others also are wont to be 
visited, the Lord did not send me ; but if the Lord do a new thing, 
and the earth, opening her mouth, swallow them down, and all things 
that belong to them, and they go down aHve into hell, you shall 
know that they have blasphemed the Lord. And, immediately, as 
he had made an end of speaking, the earth broke asunder under their 
feet, and, opening her mouth, devoured them with their tents and 
all their substance. And they went down alive into hell, the ground 
closing upon them, and they perished from among the people. 
But all Israel, that was standing round about, fled at the cry 
of them that were perishing, saying: Lest perhaps the earth swal- 
low us up also. And a fire, coming out from the Lord, de- 
stroyed the two hundred and fifty men that offered the incense. 
Then the Lord commanded Eleazar, the son of Aaron, to take the 
censers of the two hundred and fifty who were burned, and, having 
beaten them into plates, to fasten them to the altar, that they might 
be a memorial to all future generations. But what an incorrigible 
race the Jews must have been ! The following day, all the multitude 
of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying : 
You have killed the people of the Lord. And when there arose a 
sedition, and the tumult increased, Moses and Aaron fled to the 
tabernacle of the covenant. And when they were gone into it, the 
cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared. And the Lord 
said to Moses: Get ye out from the midst of this multitude; this 
moment will I destroy them. And as they were lying on the ground, 
Moses said to Aaron : Take the censer, and, putting fire in it from 
the altar, put incense upon it, and go quickly to the people to pray 
for them ; for already wrath is gone out from the Lord, and the 
plague rageth. When Aaron had done this, and had run to the 
midst of the multitude, which the burning fire was now destroying, 
he offered the incense; and standing between the dead and the 



B."' i587-47 [ Wanderings of God's People. 135 

living, he prayed for the people, and the plague ceased. And the 
number of them that were slain was fourteen thousand and seven 
hundred men, besides them that had perished in the sedition of 
Core. To further confirm the authority of Moses and Aaron, and 
to put an end to the murmurings of Israel, God ordered the chiefs 
of the twelve tribes to take twelve rods, and write their names on 
them as the representatives of their tribes, each man writing for his 
own tribe, and Aaron writing for the tribe of Levi. Moses then 
placed them in the tabernacle before the testimony. Whomsoever 
of rhese I shall choose, said the Lord, his rod shall blossom. The 
following day, Moses brought out the rods from before the Lord, 
and the rod of Aaron had buds, and the buds had bloomed blossoms, 
and the blossoms with swelling leaves had formed into almonds. 
Carry back the rod of Aaron to the tabernacle of the testimony, said 
the Lord to Moses, that it may be preserved there as a token for 
the rebellious children of Israel, and that murmurings may cease 
before me. 

8. In the first month of the fortieth year from the exodus, Israel 
came to Cades in the desert of Sin. There Mary, the sister of 
Moses, died and was buried. There the people murmured for want 
of water. Moses and Aaron, having consulted the Lord, were 
ordered to take Aaron's rod, assemble the people, and speak to the 
rock. Alas ! they executed the command of God in a faltering and 
ambiguous manner, without a fulness of faith before the people ; and 
the Lord said to Moses and Aaron : " Because you have not believ- 
ed Me, to sanctify Me before the children of Israel, you shall not 
t*ing this people unto the land which I will give them. This is the 
Water of Contradiction, where the children of Israel strove with 
words against the Lord, and He was sanctified in them." 

9. When the King of Edom refused the right 0/ passage, and was 
determined to back his refusal with force, Israel went by another 
way, and came to Mount Hor. There the Lord spoke to Moses: 
" Let Aaron, saith He, go to his people; for he shall not go into the 
land which I have given the children of Israel, because he was 
incredulous to my words at the Waters of Contradiction. Take 



136 Wanderings of God's People. \ b."- \%}^^ 

Aaron and his son with him, and bring them up into Mount Hon 
And when thou hast stripped the father of his vesture, thou shalt 
vest therewith Eleazar his son : Aaron shall be gathered to his 
people, and die there. Moses did as the Lord had commanded, 
and they went up into Mount Hor before all the muUitude. And 
when he had stript Aaron of his vestments, he vested Eleazar his 
son with them. And Aaron being dead in the top of the mountain, 
he came down with Eleazar. And all the multitude, seeing that 
Aaron was dead, mourned for him thirty days throughout all their 
families." Thus died, in the fortieth year of the exodus, the first 
day of the fifth month, and in the one hundred and twenty-third 
year of his age, Aaron, the great high-priest of the Jewish nation. 
Ecclesiasticus, in c. xlv. v. 8 to 16, speaks of him thus : " God made 
an everlasting covenant with him, and gave him the priesthood of 
the nation, and made him blessed in glory ; and he girded him about 
with a glorious girdle, and clothed him with a robe of glory, and 
crowned him with majestic attire. He put upon him a garment to 
the feet, and breeches, and an ephod, and he compassed him with 
many little bells of gold all round about, that as he went there 
might be a sound, and a noise made that might be heard in the 
temple, for a memorial to the children of his people. He gave him 
a holy robe of gold, and blue, and purple, a woven work, of a wise 
man, endued with judgment and truth : of twisted scarlet, the work 
of an artist, with precious stones cut and set in gold, and graven by 
the work of a lapidary, for a memorial, according to the number of 
the tribes of Israel. And a crown of gold upon his mitre, wherein 
was engraved Holiness, an ornament of honor : a work of powel", 
and lovely to the eyes for its beauty. Before him there were none 
so beautiful, even from the beginning. No stranger was ever 
clothed with them, but only his children alone, and his grand- 
children for ever." 

10. With the death of Aaron begins the conquering career of. 
Israel. Arad, a king of the Canaanites, was at first successful, but, 
when the people of Jacob turned to the Lord, he was overthrown, and 
his cities occupied. The people murmured at Phunon, the thirty -sixth 



B.^*' 1487-47 } Wanderings of God's People. 1 3 7 

encampment, because manna was light bread, and they were weary 
of journeying. God sent fiery serpents to punish them. Moses, by 
the direction of God, made a brazen serpent, and set it up for a 
sign, which when they that were bitten looked upon, they were 
healed. Their next triumph was over Sehon, King of the Amorrhites. 
He refused the right of passage, was overthrown, and his cities occu- 
pied. Og, the King of Basan, was next overthrown, and his lands and 
cities occupied. 

II. Balac, King of the Moabites, hearing of the victories and 
power of Israel, was terrified, and sent for Balaam, an Ammonite 
soothsayer, to curse that nation. Balaam detained the embassy 
over night, and, being instructed by God, answered : " Go into your 
country, because the Lord hath forbid me to come with you." Balac 
sent a nobler embassy, and God permitted Balaam to go, provided 
he would speak what he was ordered. Balaam arose in the morn- 
ing, and, saddling his ass, went with them. God was angry. 
An angel of the Lord stood in the way against Balaam, who sat 
on the ass, and had two servants with him. The ass, seeing the 
angel standing in the way with a drawn sword, turned herself out of 
tiie way, and went into the field. And when Balaam beat her, and 
had a mind to bring her again to the way, the angel stood in a nar- 
row place between two walls wherewith the vineyards were enclosed. 
And the ass, seeing him, thrust herself close to the wall, and bruised 
the foot of the rider; but he beat her again. And, nevertheless, the 
angel, going on to a naiarow place, where there was no way to turn 
aside either to the right hand or to the left, stood to meet him ; and 
when the ass saw the angel standing, she fell under the feet of the 
rider, who, being angry, beat her sides more vehemently with a staff. 
And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said : What 
have I done to thee ? Why strikest thou me ? lo, now, this third 
time ? Balaam answered : Because thou hast deserved it, and hast 
served me ill ; I would I had a sword, that I might kill thee. The 
ass said : Am not I thy beast on whom thou hast always been 
accustomed to ride unto this present day ? Tell me if I ever did the 
like thing to thee. But he said : Never. Forthwith the Lord 




'^ 






B.c"!' 1487-47 \ Wanderings of God's People, 1 39 

opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel standing 
in the way with a drawn sword, and he worshipped him, 
faUing flat on the ground. The angel permitted Balaam to go, if he 
would obey the injunctions of God. Balac came to meet Balaam 
in a town of the Moabites, whence he brought him to the high places 
of Baal. There Balaam had Balac build seven altars, and had a 
calf and a ram sacrificed as a burnt-offering on every altar. Then 
Balaam consulted God, and answered : 

First Blessijig. 

"Balac, King of the Moabites, hath brought me from Aram, from 
the mountains of the east: Come, said he, and curse Jacob; make 
liaste and detest Israel. How shall I curse him whom God hath 
not cursed ? By what means shall I detest him whom the Lord de- 
testeth not ? I shah see him from the tops of the rocks, and shall 
consider him from the hills. This people shall dwell alone, and shall 
not be reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of 
Jacob, and know the number of the stock of Israel? Let my soul 
die the death of the just, and my last end be like them." Balac 
was amazed, because he heard a blessing instead of a curse ; and, 
taking him to Mount Phasga, whence he could see a part of Israel, 
built seven altars, and had a calf and a ram offered aS a burnt-sacrifice 
upon every one of them. Balaam consulted God, and answered : 

Second Blessmg. 

" Stand, O Balac, and give ear; hear thou, son of Sephor: God is 
not as a man, that He should lie, nor as the son of man, that He 
should be changed. Hath He said, then, and will He not do? 
Hath He spoken, and will He not fulfil ? I was brought to bless, 
the blessing I am not able to hinder. There is no idol in Jacob, 
neither is there an image-god to be seen in Israel. The Lord his 
God is with him, and the sound of the victory of the king in him. 
God hath brought him out of Egypt, whose strength is like to the 
rhinoceros. There is no soothsaying in Jacob, nor divination in 
Israel. In their times it shall be told to Jacob and to Israel what 



1 40 Wanderings of God's People. \ J^- ^JJ^-ss 

God hath wrought. Behold the people shall rise up as a lioness, 
and shall lift itself up as a hon ; it shall not lie down till it devour 
the prey, and drink the blood of the slain." Then Balac said 
to Balaam : Neither bless nor curse them. And when Balaam 
replied that whatsoever God should command him, that he 
would do, Balac took Balaam to the top of Mount Phogor, pre- 
pared seven altars, and, after the sacrifice was offered, saw Balaam 
turn his face towards the desert. As Balaam saw Israel resting in 
their tents by their tribes, the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he 
took up his parable, saying : 

Third Blessmg. 

" Balaam, the son of Beor, hath said : The man hath said, whose 
eye is stopped up, the hearer of the words of God hath said, he 
that hath beheld the vision of the Almighty, he that falleth, and so 
his eyes are opened: How beautiful are thy tabernacles, O Jacob, 
and thy tents, O Israel I As woody valleys, as watered gardens near 
the rivers, as tabernacles which the Lord .hath pitched, as cedars by 
the water-side. Water shall flow out of his bucket, and his seed 
shall be into many waters. For Agag shall his king be removed, 
and his kingdom shall be taken away. God hath brought him out 
of Egypt, whose strength is like to the rhinoceros. They shall devour 
the nations that ar^ his enemies, and break their bones, and pierce 
them with arrows. Lying down, he hath slept as alion and as a lion- 
ess whom none shall dare to rouse. He that blesseth thee shall also 
himself be blessed ; he that curseth thee shall be reckoned accursed." 
I shall, now, set down, from an Ammonite soothsayer, one of the 
most wonderful prophecies in the Old Testament. Three times has 
Balaam given a blessing instead of a curse ; and, though he is evi- 
dently influenced by the words of Balac, " I had determined, indeed, 
greatly to honor thee, but the Lord hath deprived thee of the honor de- 
signed for thee," his prophetic words stand out in marvellous light : 
" Balaam, the son of Beor, hath said : The man whose eye is 
stopped up hath said, the hearer of the words of God hath said, 
who knoweth the doctrine of the Highest, and seeth the visions of 



B:ai587-47i Wanderings of God's People. 141 

the Almighty, who falUng hath his eyes opened : I shall see him, 
but not now ; I shall behold him, but not near. A star shall rise 
out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall spring up from Israel, and shall 
strike the chiefs of Moab, and shall waste all the children of Seth. 
And he shall possess Idumea ; the inheritance of Seir shall come to 
their enemies; but Israel shall do manfully. Out of Jacob shall he 
come that shall rule, and shall destroy the remains of the city. And 
when he saw Amalec, he took up his parable, and said : Amalec the 
beginning of nations, whose latter ends shall be destroyed. He saw 
also the Cinite, and took up his parable, and said : Thy habitation 
indeed is strong; but though thou build thy nest in a rock, and thou 
be chosen of the stock of Cin, how. long shalt thou be able to con- 
tinue ? For Assur shall take thee captive. And taking up his 
parable again, he said : Alas, who shall live when God shall do these 
things? They shall come in galleys from Italy, they shall overcome 
the Assyrians, and shall waste the Hebrews, and at the last they 
themselves also shall perish. And Balaam rose, and returned to 
his place; Balac also returned the way that he came." 

QUESTIONS. 

Describe the departure of the Israelites from Mount Sinai? Where was 
the next encampment? What occurred at Pharan? What occurred at 
Haseroth? What occurred to Mary? Give the history of the twelve spies? 
What was the Lord about to do with Moses ? What reward did Josue and 
Caleb receive? What was the punishment inflicted on the Israelites? 
How did the people act on hearing the judgment pronounced upon them? 
What became of those who attempted to conquer the Promised Land? 
What do )-ou know about the encampment of the Jews in the wilderness ? 
How was a Sabbath-breaker punished? Give the history of Core, Dathan, 
and Abiron ? What punishment did God inflict on the people on the fol- 
lowing day for murmuring against the judgment on Core, Dathan, and 
Abiron? How did Aaron's rod come to be placed in the Tabernacle? 
What took place at Cades? What do you know of the death and character 
of Aaron? What of Arad, the Brazen Serpent, Sehcn, and Og? Give the 
history of Balaam, his three blessings, and his prophecy about the Star of 
Jacob ? 




142 The Last Encampment. ^Bc^'^Jr 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE LAST ENCAMPMENT, AND THE DEATH OF MOSES. A.M. 2553. — 

B.C. 1447. 

|HE women of Moab seduced the Israelites into sin and 
the worship of Beelphegor. God ordered Moses to 
hang the princes of the people against the sun, and 
exterminate idolaters. Twenty-four thousand were 
executed. Phinees was especially commended for his zeal against 
sinners, and appeased the anger of God by killing a prince of Israel 
who was sinning with a Madianite woman. A census of the Israel- 
ites at this encampment showed six hundred and one thousand 
seven hundred and thirty men from twenty years upwards, twenty- 
three thousand Levites from one month upwards. 

2. War was declared against the Madianites. Phinees, with 
twelve thousand men, was sent to conduct it, each tribe furnishing 
one thousand. In one battle, v/ithout losing one man, they slew all 
the men, and took the women and children prisoners. Five kings, 
Evi, Recem, Sur, Hur, and Rebe, perished. Balaam the soothsayer 
was among the slain. Moses ordered all the captives, except 
girls that were virgins, to be put to death. The virgins numbered 
thirty-two thousand. The spoils of the Israelites were six hundred 
and seventy-five thousand sheep, seventy-two thousand oxen, and 
sixty-one thousand asses, together with all the valuables of the 
Madianite nation. The army offered all the gold it had taken, six- 
teen thousand seven hundred and fifty sides in weight, as a gift to 
the Lord. 

3. The tribes of Ruben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasses, 
asked of Moses the conquered lands on the east side of the Jordan 
as their inheritance. On condition that the fighting men of these 
tribes would cross the Jordan, and assist in the conquest of the 
Promised Land, Moses assented. They, therefore, received the king- 
dom of Sehon, King of the Amorrhites, the kingdom of Og, King 
of Basan, and the land of Galaad. 



J*|-^^53|, The Last Enca^npnient. 143 

4. The days of the great Jewish Leader are now drawing to 
a close. The Lord spoke to Moses, and said : Go up into this 
mountain Abarim, unto Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, 
over against Jericho, and see the land of Canaan, which I will 
deliver to the children of Israel to possess, and die thou in the 
mountain. When thou art gone up into it, thou shalt be gathered 
to thy people, as Aaron thy brother died in Mount Hor, and was 
gathered to his people ; because you trespassed against Me in the 
midst of the children of Israel at the Waters of Contradiction in 
Cades of the desert of Sin. and you did not sanctify Me among the 
children of Israel. Thou shalt see the land before thee which I will 
give to the children of Israel, but thou shalt not enter into it. 
Moses, then, besought the Lord God of the spirits of all flesh to pro- 
vide him a successor. Josue, the son of Nun, was appointed, and 
Moses set him before Eleazar the priest and the assembly of all 
the people, and, laying his hands upon his head, repeated all things 
that the Lord had commanded. Moses then pointed out the 
boundaries of the Promised Land ; named Josue and Eleazar, to- 
gether with one from each tribe, to divide it by lot ; decreed that the 
Levites should receive forty- two cities, together with their suburbs; 
announced that there should be six cities of refuge, three on either 
side of the Jordan ; and admonished his people to destroy the idols 
and exterminate the inhabitants of the land into which they were 
going. Among the many things which Moses said before going to 
Mount Nebo to die, on giving the volume in which he had written 
the words of the Law, he spoke to the Levites : '• Take this book, and 
put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, 
that it may be there for a testimony against thee. For I know thy 
obstinacy and thy most stiff neck. While I am yet living, and 
going in with you, you have always been rebellious against the 
Lord : how much more when I shall be dead? Gather unto me all 
the ancients of your tribes, and your doctors, and I will speak these 
words in their hearing, and will call heaven and earth to witness 
against them. For I know that, after my death, you will do wick- 
edly, and will quickly turn aside from the way that I have com- 



1 44 The Last Enca7npmenL \ g^'- ^^^^ 

manded you; and evils shall come upon you in the latter times 
when you shall do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him by 
the works of your hands." He spoke to Josue : "Take courage, 
and be vahant ; fon- thou shalt bring this people into the land which 
the Lord swore He would give to their fathers, and thou shalt divide 
it by lot. And the Lord, who is your leader, He Himself will be 
with thee : He will not leave thee, nor forsake thee : fear not, neither 
be dismayed." He spoke to all Israel : " I am this day a hun- 
dred and twenty years old; I can no longer go out and come in, 
especially as the Lord also had said to me : Thou shalt not pass 
over this Jordan. The Lord thy God then will pass over before 
thee : He will destroy all these nations in thy sight, and thou shalt 
possess them ; and this Josue shall go over before thee, as the Lord 
hath spoken. And the Lord shall do to them as He did to Sehon 
and Og, the kings of the Amorrhites, and to their land, and shall 
destroy them. Therefore, when the Lord shall have delivered these 
also to you, you shall do in like manner to them as I have com- 
manded you. Do manfully, and be of good heart : fear not, nor be 
ye dismayed at their sight ; for the Lord thy God, He Himself, is thy 
leader, and will not leave thee nor forsake thee. Then the old 
man Moses, the man of God, blessed all the tribes ot Israel except 
that of Simeon, and, yielding to the command of God to die, went 
up from the plains of Moab upon Mount Nebo, to the top of Phasga, 
over against Jericho, in the first day of the eleventh month of the 
fortieth year of the exodus from Egypt. The Lord showed Moses all 
the land of Galaad as far as Dan, and all Nephthali, and the land of 
Ephraim.and Manasses, and all the land of Juda unto the further- 
most sea, and the south part, and the breadth of the plain of Jericho, 
the city of palm-trees, as far as Segor. And the Lord said to him : 
This is the land for which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 
saying : I will give it to thy seed. Thou hast seen it with thy eyes, 
and shalt not pass over to it. And Moses, the servant of the Lord, 
died there, in the land of Moab, by the commandment of the Lord ; 
and He buried him in the valley of the land of Moab, over against 
Phogor; and no man hath known of his sepulchre until this present 



B.c!' H47-40 f The Conquest of Canaan. 145 

day, Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died ; 
Ins eye was not dim, neither were his teeth moved. And the chil- 
dren of Israel mourned for him in the plains of Moab thirty days, 
and the days of their mourning in which they mourned for Moses 
were ended. Josue, the son of Nun, was filled with the spirit 
of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands upon him. The 
children of Israel obeyed him, and did as the Lord commanded 
Moses. And there arose no more a prophet in Israel like unto 
Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, in all the signs and 
wonders which He sent by him to do in the land of Egypt to 
Pharao, and to all his servants, and to his whole land, and all the 
mighty hand and great miracles which Moses did before all Israel. 

QUESTIONS. 

How were the Israelites punished for sinning with the women of Moab ? 
What did Phinees do? What was the census of the Israelites at the forty- 
second encampment ? Tell what you know of the war against the Madian- 
ites. Who was the Jewish commander? What was the number of the 
army? What the Jewish loss? What was the loss on the Madianite side? 
Where were Ruben, Gad^ and Manasses settled? How did God announce 
his approaching death to Moses? How was a successor provided? What 
arrangements did Moses make before his death ? What commission did 
he give the Levites? What did he say to Josue ? What to all Israel? What 
did he do before going up to Nebo ? What lands did the Lord show him? 
What was his character? 



CHAPTER XXVII. 



THE CONQUEST OF CANAAN. A.M. 2553-A.M. 2560. B.C. 1447- 

B.C, 1440. 

HEN the mourning for Moses was over, the Lord com- 
manded Josue to prepare and pass the Jordan into the 
Land of Promise. Josue sent two spies before to recon- 
noitre and report to Israel. Their lives were saved by 
Rahab, a harlot of Jericho; and, after concealing themselves for three 
days in the mountains, they returned, and reported to Josue that all 




146 The Conquest of Canaan. j b.'.?* f ^^I^o 



c. 1447-40 



the inhabitants of Canaan were paralyzed with fear. After some 
days, Josue commanded the priests to carry the ark before the chil- 
dren of Israel. Now, when the feet of the priests were dipped in the 
waters of the Jordan, the waters that were above rose into a high 
mountain, so that they could be seen afar off, and those that were 
below ran into the Dead Sea, leaving a dry channel, that the children 
of Israel might pass over. The priests bearing the ark stood girded in 
the centre of the river's bed. First passed over the fighting men of 
Ruben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasses, who had left their 
women, and children,' and property in the lands v/hich Moses gave 
them, then all Israel, according to its ensigns, and standards, and 
tribes. Twelve men whom Josue had chosen, one from each tribe, 
took twelve stones from the bed of the river, and Josue set twelve 
stones where the ark stood. When all the multitude had passed into 
Canaan, Josue called the priests from the centre of the stream, and 
the Jordan flowed on as before. 

2. That night, on the tenth day of the first month, forty years after 
the exodus, Josue encamped at Galgal, in the Promised Land. 
There he circumcised Israel, for Israel was uncircumcised, having 
been born in wanderings through the wide wilderness. There they 
celebrated the Pasch, and, when they had eaten of the corn of the 
land, the manna ceased. There Josue set up a monument with the 
twelve stones which he had taken from the bed of the river. There 
he saw the Prince of the host of the Lord standing with a drawn 
sword, who declared that he was come, and ordered him to loose 
the shoes from off his feet, because the place whereon he stood was 
holy. 

3. When the nations west of the Jordan heard how Israel had 
crossed over, fear came upon them, and there was no spirit left. 
The inhabitants of Jericho shut themselves up within its walls. Six 
days did Josue march round the walls of Jericho. First came the 
armed men, then seven priests with the seven trumpets of the jubi- 
lee, then the ark of the covenant, and last the silent multitude of 
Israel. On the seventh day, not once, but seven times^ they marched 
round the walls, and, when the trumpet^ sounded on the seventh 



iVc"!' 1447-4° I" The Conq tees t of Canaan. 147 

tiQie, Josue cried out to all Israel : " Shout, for the Lord has given 
you this city." Israel shouted, the walls fell, and all Jericho was 
destroyed, except Rahab the harlot, who saved the spies, and them 
that were in her house. 

4. An expedition was sent against Hai from Jericho, but it failed, 
because Achan had stolen from the spoils that were dedicated to the 
Lord. Josue and the ancients consulted God, and, having discov- 
ered the theft of Achan, destroyed him and all his substance. An- 
other expedition went out against Hai. Josue sent forty thousand 
men to lie in ambush during the night. The following day, he and 
those that were with him, approached Hai by the opposite direc- 
tion. The King of Hai marshalled all his army, and marched 
against Josue; but the Israelites counterfeited flight, and drew the 
army from the city, leaving it undefended. Then they that were in 
ambush rose and set fire to the city, and all the inhabitants of Hai, 
twelve thousand in number, perished on that day. The king was 
taken alive, and, by the command of Josue, hanged on a gibbet. 
Josue built an altar, and offered sacrifices. He caused the Law to 
be written on stones. He also had the blessings and curses read, as 
had been commanded by Moses. 

5. These victories inspired fear into the inhabitants of all the 
country. ' The Gabaonites came and made a treaty with Josue, say- 
ing that they were a people afar off. When Josue learned that he 
had been deceived, he respected the treaty because he had sworn; but, 
tliough he spared the lives of the Gabaonites, he condemned them 
to be hewers of wood and carriers of water. The defection of the 
Gabaonites alarmed Adonisedec, who formed a confederacy with 
the King of Hebron, the King of Jerimoth, the King of Lachis, and 
the King of Eglon against Gabaon. When the five kings were be- 
sieging Gabaon, an embassy was seftt by the Gabaonites to Josue, 
who led his warriors in the night-time, and fell upon them suddenly. 
" And the Lord troubled them at the sight of Israel ; and He slew them 
with a great slaughter in Gabaon, and pursued them by the way of 
the ascent to Bethhoron, and cut them off all the way to Azeca and 
Maceda. And when they were fleeing from the children of Israel, 



148 The Cojtquest of Canaan. ] b.'^' ^4471^0 

and were in the descent of Bethhoron, the Lord cast down upon 
them great stones from heaven as far as Azeca; and many more were 
killed with the hail-stones than were slain by the swords of the chil- 
dren of Israel. Then Josue spoke to the Lord, in the day that he 
delivered the Amorrhite in the sight of the children of Israel, and he 
said before them : Move not, O sun, toward Gabaon, nor thou, O 
moon, toward the valley of Ajalon. And the sun and the moon 
stood still till the people revenged themselves of their enemies. Is 
not this written in the Book of the Just ? So the sun stood still in 
the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down the space of one 
day. There was not before nor after so long a day, the Lord obey- 
ing the voice of a man, and fighting for Israel. And Josue returned 
with all Israel into the camp of Galgal ; for the five kings had fled, 
and hidden themselves in a cave of the city of Maceda. And it 
was told Josue that the five kings were found hid in a cave of the 
city of Maceda. And he commanded them that were with him, 
saying : Roll great stones to the mouth of the cave, and set careful 
men to keep them shut up ; and stay you not, but pursue after the 
enemies, and kill all the hindermost of them as they flee ; and do not 
suffer them whom the Lord God hath delivered into your hands to 
shelter themselves in their cities. So the enemies being slain with a 
great slaughter, and almost utterly consumed, they that were able to 
escape from Israel entered into fenced cities. And all the army re- 
turned to Josue in Maceda, where the camp then was, in good health 
and without the loss of any one ; and no man durst move his tongue 
against the children of Israel. And Josue gave orders, saying : 
Open the mouth of the cave, and bring forth to me the five kings 
that lie hid therein. And the ministers did as they were command- 
ed : and they brought out to him the five kings out of the cave, the 
King of Jerusalem, the King of Hebron, the King of Jerimoth, the 
King of Lachis, the King of Eglon. And when they were brought 
out to him, he called all the men of Israel, and said to the chiefs of 
the army that were with him : Go, and set your feet on the necks 
of these kings. And when they had gone, and put their feet upon 
the necks of them lying under them, he said again to them : Fear 



Bx.?447^o^ The Conquest of Canaan. 149 

not, neither be ye dismayed ; take courage and be strong ; for so 
will the Lord do to all your enemies against whom you fight. 
Josue struck and slew them, and hanged them upon five gibbets : 
and they hung until the evening. And when the sun was down, he 
commanded the soldiers to take them down firom the gibbets. And 
afi:er they were taken down, they cast them into the cave where they 
had lain hid, and put great stones at the mouth thereof, which remain 
until this day." 

5. Maceda, Lebna, Lachis, Eglon, Hebron, Dabir, and all the 
country of the south fell in rapid succession into the hands of the 
victorious Hebrew commander. Master of the south, he returned to 
the camp at Galgal. 

6. Jabin, the King of Asor, formed a confederacy of the kings of 
the north against Israel. It represented the Amorrhite, the Hethite, 
the Pherezite, the Canaanite, the Jebusite, and the Hevite. Josue 
came upon them suddenly at the Waters of Merom, dispersed and 
utterly overthrew them, set fire to their chariots, and ham-stringed 
their horses. He destroyed their cities, and took possession of their 
lands. Josue waged war against the remaining kings and cities of 
Canaan, and conquered them. He took especial care to root out 
the Enacim, and destroyed all their cities except Gaza, Geth, and 
Azotus. In the seventh year after passing the Jordan, he was the 
conqueror of thirty-one kings and six nations. 

7. The Lord wished to complete the work of conquest within the 
lifetime of Josue, and ordered him, seeing that he was now old, to 
divide the land among the children of Israel. The warriors from 
the tribes of Ruben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasses, who had 
assisted their brethren in reducing Canaan, were sent to their trans- 
Jordanic homes, as appointed by Moses. Caleb, the brother survivor 
of Josue among all the Israelites over twenty at Sinai, came to him 
and said : " Thou knowest what the Lord spoke to Moses, the man 
of God, concerning me and thee in Cadesbarne. I was forty years 
old when Moses, the servant of the Lord, sent me from Cadesbarne 
to view the land, and I brought him word again as to me seemed 
true. But my brethren that had gone up with me discouraged the 



1 50 The Last Encamp7ne7it, \ ^cl- ^^^^ 

heart of the people; and I nevertheless followed the Lord my God. 
And Moses swore in that day, saymg : The land which thy foot hath 
trodden upon shall be thy possession and thy children's for ever, be- 
cause thou hast followed the Lord my God. The Lord therefore 
hath granted me life as He promised until this present day. It is 
forty and five years since the Lord spoke this word to Moses, when 
Israel journeyed through the wilderness ; this day I am eighty-five 
years old. As strong as I was at that time when I was sent to view 
the land, the strength of that time continueth in me until this day, 
as well to fight as to march. Give me therefore this mountain 
which the Lord promised in thy hearing also, wherein are the 
Enacim, and cities great and strong ; if so be, the Lord will be with 
me, and I shall be able to destroy them, as He promised me. And 
Josue blessed him, and gave him Hebron in possession ; and from 
that time Hebron belonged to Caleb, the son of Jephone the Cene- 
zite, until this present day, because he followed the Lord the God of 
Israel." 

8. Juda, Ephraim, and the other half-tribe of Manasses were the 
first of the tribes that received their possessions west of the Jordan. 
After a survey, the remaining seven tribes received their portions. 
Torty-two cities were, likewise, appointed for the Levites, and six 
cities of refuge, three beyond the Jordan, and three on the Canaan- 
ite side of the Jordan. Josue received the city of Thamnath Saraa 
in Mount Ephraim as his possession. When the trans-Jordanic 
tribes reached their homes, they erected a memorial altar, which was 
at first misunderstood, but afterwards, on the representation of 
Phinees, son of Eleazar, sanctioned by their brethren in Canaan. 

9. Before his death, Josue held two meetings of the people, and I 
shall give his words at length, because they mark the birtli of the 
Israelites as a nation in the Promised Land. After Israel had 
enjoyed peace for a long time, and the surrounding nations were at 
peace, Josue assembled the nation, and said : " I am old, and far 
advanced in years, and you see all that the Lord your God hath 
done to all the nations round about, how He Himself hath fought for 
you; and now, since He hath divided to you by lot all the land from 



^•2' j^^^ \ The Last Encampment 1 5 1 

the east of the Jordan unto the great sea, and many nations yet 
remain, the Lord your God will destroy them, and take them away 
from before your fiice, and you shall possess the land, as he hath 
promised you; only take courage, and be careful to observe all 
things that are written in the book of the law of Moses; and turn 
not aside from them, neither to the right hand nor to the left, lest 
after that you are come in among the Gentiles, who will remain 
among you, you should swear by the name of their gods, and serve 
them, and adore them ; but cleave ye unto the Lord your God, as 
you have done until this day. And then the Lord God wall take 
away before your eyes nations that are great and very strong, and no 
man shall be able'to resist you. One of you shall chase a thousand 
men of the enemies, because the Lord your God Himself will fight 
for you, as He hath promised. This only take care of with all dili- 
gence, that you love the Lord your God ; but if you will embrace 
the errors of these nations that dwell among you, and make mar- 
riages with them, and join friendships, know ye for a certainty that 
the Lord your God will not destroy them before your face, but they 
shall be a pit and a snare in your way, and a stumbling-block at 
your side, and stakes in your eyes, till He take you away and destroy 
you from off this excellent land which He hath given you. Behold^ 
this day I am going into the way of all the earth, and you shall know 
with all your mind that, of all the words which the Lord promised 
to perform for you, not one hath failed. Therefore, as He hath ful- 
filled in deed what He promised, and all things prosperous have 
come, so will He bring upon you all the evils He hath threatened, till 
He take you away and destroy you from off this excellent land 
which He hath given you. When you shall have transgressed the 
covenant of the Lord your God which He hath made with you, and 
shall have served strange gods, and adored them, then shall tlie 
indignation of the Lord rise up quickly and speedily against you, 
and you shall be taken away from this excellent land which He hath 
dehvered to you." The second oration of the Jewish conqueror is 
historic, and, while it recites the mercies of God to the Hebrews, asks 
their assent to the Law of God, and re-establishes the covenant. 



152 The Last Encampment. \ ^•^- Jjss 

The meeting was held at Sichem, it is supposed eight years 
after the distribution, and was attended by the ancients, the 
princes, the judges, and the masters. Josue spoke in tlie name 
of the Lord : Your fathers dwelt of old on the other side of 
the river, Thare the father of Abraham, and Nachor ; and they 
served strange gods. And I took your father Abraham from 
the borders of Mesopotamia, and brought him into the land 
of Canaan ; and I multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac : and 
to him again I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave to Esau 
Mount Seir for his possession; but Jacob and his children went 
down into Egypt. And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I struck 
Egypt with many signs and wonders. And I brought you and your 
fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea ; and the Egyptians 
pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red 
Sea. And the children of Israel cried to the Lord, and He put 
darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon 
them, and covered them. Your eyes saw all that I did in Egypt, 
and you dwelt in the wilderness a long time ; and I brought you 
into the land of the Amorrhite, who dwelt beyond the Jordan. 
And when they fought against you, I delivered them into your 
hands, and you possessed their land, and slew them. And Balac, 
son of Sephor, King of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. And 
he sent and called for Balaam, son of Beor, to curse you ; and I 
would not hear him, but, on the contrary, I blessed you by him, and 
I delivered you out of his hand. And you passed over the Jordan, 
and you came to Jericho. And the men of that city fought against 
you, the Amorrhite, and the Pherezite, and the Canaanite, and the 
Hethite, and the Gergesite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite, and 
I delivered them into your hands. And I sent before you hornets; 
and I drove them out from their places, the two kings of the Amor- 
rliites, not with thy sword nor with thy bow. And I gave you a 
land in which you had not labored, and cities to dwell in which you 
built not, vineyards and olive -yards which you planted not. Now, 
therefore, fear the Lord, and serve Him with a perfect and most sin- 
cere heart ; and put away the gods which your fathers served in 



^■^•^553^ The Last Encampment. 153 

Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if it seem 
evil to you to serve the Lord, you have your choice : choose this 
day that which pleaseth you, whom you would rather serve, whether 
the gods which your fathers served in Mesopotamia, or the gods of 
the Amorrhites, in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my 
house, we will serve the Lord. And the people answered, and 
said : God forbid we should leave the Lord, and serve strange gods. 
The Lord our God He brought us and our fathers out of the land 
of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, and did very great signs in 
our sight, and preserved us in all the way by which we journeyed, 
and among all the people through whom we passed. And He hath 
cast out all the nations, the Amorrhite, the inhabitant of the land, 
into which we are come. Therefore, we will serve the Lord, for He 
is our God." 

10. Josue wrote all these things in the volume of the Law of the 
Lord, and placed it in the ark. He also set a stone for a testimony 
in the sanctuary of the Lord under the oak therein. He died at 
the age of one hundred and ten years, and was buried in Tham- 
nathsare, his own possession. The bones of Joseph, which the chil- 
dren of Israel had taken out of Egypt, were buried in the field 
which Jacob bought of Hemor at Sichem. Eleazar, the son of 
Aaron, died and was buried at Gabaath, the possession of his son 
Phinees, in Mount Ephraim. 

11. Thus Josue, the minister and successor of Moses, accomplished 
all things which the Lord spoke to him, and settled the Hebrew 
nation in the land which the Lord swore He would give to the pos- 
terity of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The character of Josue is thus 
drawn in Ecclesiasticus, c. xlvi. : " Valiant in war was Jesus the son 
of Nave, who was successor of Moses among the prophets, who was 
great according to his name — very great for the saving the elect of 
God, to overthrow the enemies that rose up against them, that he 
might get the inheritance for Israel. How great glory did he gain 
when he lifted up his hands, and stretched out swords against the 
cities ? Who before him so stood to it ? for the Lord Himself 
brought His enemies to him. Was not the sun stopped in His anger, 



154 The Last Encampment, it^/iS? 

and one day made as two ? He called upon the Most High Sove- 
reign when the enemies assaulted him on every side, and the great 
and holy God heard him by hailstones of exceeding great force. He 
made a violent assault against the nation of His enemies, and in the 
descent of Bethhoron He destroyed the adversaries, that the nations 
might know His power, that it is not easy to fight against God. 
And he followed the Mighty One." 

QUESTIONS. 

Give a description of the preparations and march across the Jordan? 
When did Josue encamp at Galgal ? What took place at Galgal ? Give a 
description of the fall of Jericho? What caused the failure against Hai? 
How was Hai taken ? What became of its king ? What was the confedera- 
tion under Adonisedec? What led to the confederacy? Give a description 
of the battle, and tell what was the fate of the confederated kings ? What 
further victories did Josue gain ? What was the next confederation against 
Israel? Where was it overthrown? What was the position of Ruben, Gad, 
and the half-tribe of Manasses? What did Caleb say to Josue? What other 
possessions were given ? What fell to Josue ? Give the substance of the 
two last orations of Josue ? What three celebrated Jewish personages died 
about the same time as Josue? Give the character of Josue according to 
Ecclesiasticus? 



SECTION IV. 

HISTORY FROM SAMUEL AND THE PROPHETS.-(JUDGES). 



CHAPTER XXVIIL 

HISTORY OF god's PEOPLE UNDER THE JUDGES. — A.M. 2560 — 
A.M. 2909. B.C. 1440 B.C. IC9I, 

HE Jewish peoj^le observed the Law dur- 
ing the hves of Josue and the elders, 
but failed to exterminate the races that 
occupied the Promised Land. Inter- 
course with those races led to forgetful- 
ness of God, intermarriage with them, 
and idolatry. To punish their crimes, 
God from time to time delivered up His 
people to be oppressed by Gentile na- 
tions. "When they repented of their 
sins, and cried to the Lord for help. He 
to rule over them and deliver them from 
'he Judges were the custodians of the Jewish 
rvere empowered to wage war and settle dis- 
authority to make new laws. 
\\ 2. The chronology of Jewish history during the epoch of 

the Judges is involved in much controversy. Some say that 
the periods of time mentioned in the Book of Judges must be 
reckoned consecutively ; some, that they must be regarded as inclu- 
sive or contemporary ; some follow a middle course, viewing some 
dates as contemporary, and others as consecutive. The sum of the 
dates given is four hundred and ten years, but most systems, by 




1 5 6 History of God 's People. \ ^-j;- ^4^^5909 

making at least some of them inclusive, shorten that number of years 
considerably. Ussher and Petavius place the foundation of Solo- 
mon's Temple in the year 1012 before Christ; but Ussher sets down 
the exodus in 1491 B.C., whereas Petavius places it in 1531 B.C. 
Ussher has on his side 3 Kings vi. i : "And it came to pass in 
the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel came 
.out of Egypt, in the fourth month of the reign of Solomon over 
Israel in the month Zio (the same is the second month), he began 
to build a house to the Lord." The four hundred and fifty years 
assigned to the Judges in Acts xiii. 20 seem to favor the opinion of 
Petavius. Josephus reckons five hundred and ninety-two years from 
the exodus to the foundation of Solomon's Temple. 

3. There was an interregnum of some years after the death of 
Josue, the seventy elders administering the affairs of the nation. 
The tribe of Juda was chosen to fight against Adonibezec, the King 
of Jerusalem. A battle was fought at Bezec, where Juda slew ten 
thousand of the enemy, and Adonibezec fled ; and they pursued 
after him and took him, and cut off his fingers and toes. And 
Adonibezec said : Seventy kings, having their fingers and toes cut off, 
gathered up the leavings of the meat under my table ; as I have 
done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusa- 
lem, and he died there. During the interregnum, the people of 
Gabaa in the tribe of Benjamin outraged the wife of a Levite, and, 
on their refusal to deliver up the guilty persons, were almost exter- 
minated by the other tribes of Israel. Some suppose the interreg- 
num to have lasted ten years. 

4. From the time of Josue to the Kings, six captivities are men- 
tioned. The Assyrians under Chusan Rasathaim oppressed Israel 
for eight years ; the Moabites under Eglon, eighteen years ; the Can- 
aanites under Jabin, King of Asor, twenty years; the Madianites, 
seven years ; the Ammonites, eighteen years ; and the Philistines, forty 
years. During the same period, from Josue to the Kings, fifteen 
Judges are mentioned. The Jewish RepubHc was governed by 
Othoniel forty years, by Aod eighty years, Samgar, whose time is 
not stated, Barac and Debbora forty years, Gedeon forty years, 



B.-" lllt:?^. \ History of God's People, 1 5 7 

Abimelech three years, Thola twenty-three years, Jair twenty-two 
years, Jephte six years, Abesan seven years, Ahialon ten years, 
Abdon eight years, Samson twenty years, Heli forty years, and 
Samuel twenty-one, which are supposed to be included in the forty 
years of Saul, the'first king. 

5. The first bondage is thus recorded : " The Israelites did evil 
in the sight of the Lord, and they forgot their God, and served 
Baalim and Astaroth. And the Lord, being angry with Israel, de- 
hvered them into the hands of Chusan Rasathaim, King of Mesopo- 
tamia, and they served him eight years. And they cried to the 
Lord, who raised them up a saviour, and delivered them, to wit, 
Othoniel the son of Cenez, the younger brother of Caleb. And the 
Spirit of the Lord was in him, and he judged Israel. And he went 
out to fight, and the Lord delivered Chusan Rasathaim, King of 
Syria, and he overthrew him. And the land rested forty years, and 
Othoniel the son of Cenez died." 

6. The following is the history of Aod, who rescued Israel from the 
bondage of Moab : " And the children of Israel did evil again in 
the sight of the Lord, who strengthened against tliem Eglon, King 
of Moab, because they did evil in His sight. And he joined to him 
the children of Amnion and Amalec ; and he went and overthrew 
Israel, and possessed the city of palm-trees. And the children of 
Israel served Eglon, King of Moab, eighteen years; and afterv/ards 
they cried to the Lord, who raised them up a saviour called Aod, 
the son of Gera, the son of Jemimi, who used the left hand as well 
as the right. And the children of Israel sent presents to Eglon, 
King of Moab, by him. And he made himself a two-edged sword, 
with a haft in the midst of the length of the palm of the hand, and 
was girded therewith under his garment on the right thigh. And 
he presented the gifts to Eglon, King of Moab. Now, Eglon was 
exceeding fat. And when he had presented the gifts unto him, he 
followed his companions that came along with him. Then return- 
ing from Galgal, where the idols were, he said to the king : I have 
a secret message to thee, O king. And he commanded silence ; 
and all being gone out that were about him, Aod went in to him j 



B.c"- ttlt?^ \ History of God's People. 1 59 

now, he was sitting in a summer parlor alone : and he said : I have a 
word from God to thee. And he forthwith rose up from his throne. 
And Aod put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right 
thigh, and thrust it into his belly with such force that the haft went 
in after the blade into the wound, and was closed up with the abun- 
dance of fat. So that he did not draw out the dagger, but left it in 
the body as he had struck it in. But Aod, carefully shutting the 
doors of the parlor and locking them, went out by a postern door. 
And the king's servants, going in, saw the doors of the parlor shut, 
and waiting a long time till they were ashamed, and seeing that no 
man opened the door, they took a key, and, opening, they found 
their lord lying dead on the ground. But Aod, while they were in 
confusion, escaped, and passed by the place of the idols, from 
whence he had returned. And he came to Seirath ; and forthwith 
he sounded the trumpet in Mount Ephraim ; and the children of 
Israel went down with him, he himself going in the front. And he 
said to them : Follow me ; for the Lord hath delivered our enemies 
the Moabites into our hands." Aod then raised an army, and slew 
ten thoufiand Moabites ;'and the land rested eighty years. The next 
judge, Samgar, slew six hundred Philistines with a plough-share. 

7. Israel was next oppressed by Jabin, King of Canaan. Barac, 
being called by Debbora, a prophetess, went with ten thousand men 
of Zabulon and Nephthali, and defeated Sisara, the general of Jabin, 
at the torrent of Cison. Sisara was slain in his flight. While he 
was asleep, Jahel, the wife of Haber the Cinite, drove a nail 
through his temple, and sent him from deep sleep to death. The 
triumph of Israel over the Canaanite is commemorated in the Can- 
ticle of Debbora. In that day Debbora and Barac, son of Abi- 
noem, sung, and said : " O you of Israel, that have willingly offered 
your lives to danger, bless the Lord. Hear, O ye kings ; give ear, O ye 
princes: It is 1% it is I, that will sing to the Lord, I will sing to the Lord, 
the God of Israel. O Lord, when Thou wentest out of Seir, and pass- 
edst by the regions of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heaven and 
clouds dropped water. The mountains melted before the face of 
the Lord, and Sinai before the face of the Lord the God of Israel. 



1 60 History of God 's People, \ ^■^: ifp.l^. 

In the days of Samgar, the son of Anath, in the days of Jahel, the 
paths rested ; and they that went by them walked through by-ways. 
The valiant men ceased, and rested in Israel, until Debbora arose, 
a mother arose in Israel. The Lord chose new wars, and He Him- 
self overthrew the gates of the enemies : a shield and spear was not 
seen among forty thousand of Israel. My heart loveth the princes 
of Israel : O you that of your own good will offered yourselves to 
danger, bless the Lord. Speak, you that ride upon fair asses, and 
you that sit in judgment, and walk in the way. Where the chariots 
were dashed together, and the army of the enemies was choked, there 
let the justices of the Lord be rehearsed, and his clemency towards 
the brave men of Israel : then the people of the Lord went down to 
the gates, and obtained the sovereignty. Arise, arise, O Debbora, arise, 
arise, and utter a canticle ; arise, Barac, and take hold of thy cap- 
tives, O son of Abinoem. The remnants of the people are saved, 
the Lord hath fought among the valiant ones. Out of Ephraim He 
destroyed them into Amalec, and after him out of Benjamin into 
thy peoples, O Amalec. Out of Machir there came down princes, 
and out of Zabulon they that led the arrfiy to fight. The cap- 
tains of Issachar were with Debbora, and followed the steps of 
Barac, who exposed himself to danger, as one going headlong 
and into a pit. Ruben being divided against himself, there was 
found a strife of courageous men. Why dwellest thou between two 
borders, that thou mayest hear the bleatings of the flocks ? Ruben 
being divided against himself, there was found a strife of courageous 
men. Galaad rested beyond the Jordan, and Dan applied himself 
to ships; Aser dwelt on the sea-shore, and abode in the havens. 
But Zabulon and Nephthali offered their lives to death in the region 
of Merome. The kings came and fought : the kings of Canaan 
fought in Thanac by the waters of Mageddo, and yet they took no 
spoils. There was war made" against them from heaven : the stars, 
remaining in their order and courses, fought against Sisara. The tor- 
rent of Cison dragged their carcasses, the torrent of Cadumim, the 
torrent of Cison : tread thou, my soul, upon the strong ones. The hoofs 
of the horses were broken whilst the stoutest of the enemies fled 



a.c.'' ;44"?o9? ; History of God 's People. 1 6 1 

amain, and fell headlong down. Curse ye the land of Meroz, said 
the Angel of the Lord ; curse the inhabitants thereof, because they 
came not to the help of the Lord to help His most valiant men. 
Blessed among women be Jahel, the wife of Haber the Cinite, and 
blessed be she in her tent. He asked her water, and she gave him 
milk, and offered 'him butter in a dish fit for princes. She put her 
left hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workman's hammer, 
and she struck Sisara, seeking in his head a place for the wound, 
and strongly piercing through his temples. Before her feet he fell; 
he fainted, and he died ; he rolled before her feet, and there he lay 
lifeless and wretched. His mother looked out at a window, and 
howled ; and she spoke from the dining-room : Why is his chariot 
so long in coming back ? Why are the feet of his horses so slow ? 
One that Avas wiser than the rest of his wives returned this answer 
lo her mother-in-law : Perhaps he is now dividing the spoils, and the 
fairest of the women is chosen out for him ; garments of divers colors 
are given to Sisara for his prey, and furniture of different kinds is 
heaped together to adorn necks. So let all Thy enemies perish, O 
Lord ; but let them that love Thee shine as the sun shineth in his 
rising." 

7. The next captivity was that of the Madianites. The Lord 
sent an angel to call Gedeon, of the tribe of Manasses, from the 
threshing-floor. As a sign to Gedeon, his offerings were consumed 
with fire from a rock. God ordered Gedeon to overthrow the altar, 
and cut down the grove of Baal at Ephra. As another sign of 
victory, God sent dew upon the fleece of Gedeon, and not upon the 
surrounding earth ; while the next night He sent it upon the earth, 
and not upon the fleece. Gedeon, by the order of God, sent away all 
the men whom he had gathered, to the number of myriads, except 
three hundred, and with them he marched against Madian. Gedeon 
received a further assurance of victory by the interpretation of a 
dream which he heard in the Madianite camp. Now, Madian and 
Amalec, and all the eastern people, lay encamped against Israel as 
a multitude of locusts, and their camels were innumerable as the 
sand that lieth on the sea-shore. Gedeon, giving each of his three 



1 6 2 History of God 's People. \ ^ ^'l- '44^109? 

hundred men a trumpet, an empty pitcher, and a lamp in it, and 
dividing them into three bodies, approached the enemy's camp by 
different directions. At the dead of night, they blew their trumpets, 
they broke the pitchers, they waved the lights, and they persisted 
shouting : *' The sword of the Lord and of Gedeon." A panic came 
upon the Madianite camp, and Madianite slew Madianite. The 
Madianites lost the greater part of an army, numbering'one hundred 
and twenty thousand men, together with their Kings, Zebee and 
Salmana. Gedeon punished Soccoth and Phanuel for refusing sup- 
plies. Being asked by the Jews to become king, he answered : 
" Neither I shall be your king, nor shall my son ; but the Lord God 
shall be your King." Gedeon took the gold that was found in the 
spoils, and made an ephod, which he left in Ephra, and which after 
became an occasion of idolatry to his countrymen. He died in his 
old age, and gave forty years' peace to his country. 

8. Abimelech, the son of Gedeon, usurped the kingly power, slew 
seventy brothers, destroyed Sichem and sowed it with salt, but was 
killed at Thebes. To Abimelech was addressed the celebrated 
parable of Joatham : " Hear me, ye men of Sichem, so may God hear 
you.* The trees went to anoint a king over them; and they said to 
the olive-tree : Reign thou over us. And it answered : Can I leave 
my fatness, which both gods and men make use of, to come to. be 
promoted among the trees ? And the trees said to the fig-tree : 
Come thou and reign over us. And it answered them : Can I leave 
my sweetness and my deUcious fruits, and go to be promoted among 
the other trees ? And the trees said to the vine : Come thou and 
reign over us. And it answered them : Can I forsake my wine, that 
cheereth God and men, and be promoted among the other trees ? 
And all the trees said to the bramble : Come thou and reign over 
us. And it answered them : If indeed you mean to make me king, 
come ye and rest under my shadow ; but if you mean it not, let fire 
come out from the bramble, and devour the cedars of Libanus. Now, 
therefore, if you have done well, and without sin, in appointing 
Abimelech king over you, and have dealt well with Jerobaal and 
with his house, and have made a suitable return for the benefit of 



it ll^\%t \ History of God 's People, 1 6 



o 



him who fought for you, and exposed his h'fe to dangers to deliver 
you from the hand of Aladian, and you are now risen up against my 
father's house, and have killed his sons, seventy men, upon one stone, 
and have made Abimeiech, the son of his handmaid, king over the 
inhabitants of Sichem, because he is your brother; if, therefore, you 
have dealt well, and without fault, with Jerobaal and his house, 
rejoice ye this day in Abimeiech, and may he rejoice in you; but, if 
unjustly, let fire come out from him, and consume the inhabitants of 
Sichem and the town of Mello ; and let fire come out from the men 
of Sichem, and from the town of Mello, and devour Abimeiech." 

9. Jephte, the son of a harlot, delivered Israel from the servitude 
of the Ammonites, and slaughtered forty-two thousand of them in 
battle. *He sacrificed his own daughter to fulfil a vow he had made 
to God, should success attend his expedition. 

10. Samson, the strongest man that ever lived, was the son of 
Manue, of the tribe of Dan. His wife was barren, and an angel of 
the Lord appeared to her, and said : " Thou art barren and without 
children, but thou shalt conceive and bear a son. Now, therefore, 
beware, and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat not any unclean 
thing, because thou shalt conceive and bear a son, and no razor 
shall touch his head, for he shall be a Nazarite of God from his 
infancy, and from his mother's womb, and he shall begin to deliver 
Israel from the hands of'the Philistines." Samson, when he grew up, 
tore a lion in pieces as a man would tear a kid. Samson slew thirty 
Philistines in Ascalon to pay the forfeit of a riddle. He caught 
three hundred foxes, and, fastening lighted torches to their tails, sent 
them into the corn-fields of the Philistines to set them on fire. Being 
tied by the Jews to be delivered to the Philistines, he burst the cords 
asunder as easily as if they were set on fire. He destroyed a thou- 
sand Philistines with the jaw-bone of an ass. Being beset by the 
Philistines, he took the gates, posts, and bolt of the city of Gaza, and 
carried them unto the hills. He pulled down the pillars of the 
Temple of Dagon, destroying himself and many thousand Philis- 
tines. Samson loved three women. To the first he was married, 
and she betrayed him, revealing the answer to his riddle — What is 



Bc:uto'-;?9M History of God's People, 165 

sweeter than honey ? What is stronger than a Hon ? — and then 
marrying another man. The second was a harlot, from whom he 
escaped by taking away tlie gates of Gaza. The third was called 
Dalila, and was the cause of his destruction. It was accomplished 
thus : " After this he loved a woman who dwelt in the valley of Sorec, 
and she was called Dalila. And the princes of the Philistines came 
to her, and said : Deceive him, and learn of him wherein his great 
strength lieth, and how we may be able to overcome him, to bind 
and afflict him, which if thou shalt do. we will give thee every one 
of us eleven hundred pieces of silver. And Dalila said to Samson : 
Tell me, I beseech thee, wherein thy greatest strength lieth, and 
what it is wherewith, if thou wert bound, thou couldst not break 
loose. And Samson answered her : If I shall be bound with seven 
cords made of sinews not yet dry, but still moist, I shall be weak hke 
other men. And the princes of the Philistines brought unto her 
seven cords, such as he spoke of, with which she bound him, men 
lying privately in wait with her and in the chamber expecdng the 
event of the thing, and she cried out to him : The Philistines are 
upon thee, Samson. And he broke the bands as a man would break a 
thread of tow when it smelleth the fire; so it was not known wherein 
his strength lay. Dalila said to him : Behold, thou hast mocked me, 
and hast told me a false thing, but now at least tell me wherewith 
thou mayest be bound. He answered her : If I shall be bound with 
new ropes that were never in work, I shall be weak, and like other 
men. Dalila bound him again with these, and cried out : The 
Philistines are upon thee, Samson, there being an ambush prepared 
for him in the chamber; but he broke the bands like threads of webs. 
And Dalila said to him again : How long dost thou deceive me, and 
tell me lies ? Show me wherewith thou mayest be bound. And Samson 
answered her : If thou plattest the seven locks of my head with a 
lace, and, tying them round about a nail, and fastenest it in the 
ground, I shall be weak. When Dalila had done this, she said to 
him : The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And awaking out of 
his sleep, he drew out the nail with the hairs and the lace. And 
Dalila said to him : How dost iliou say thou lovest me, when thy 



tc t^^ f /fis/07y of God's People. 1 67 

mind is not with me ? Thou hast told me lies these three times, 
and wouldst not tell me wherein thy greatest strength lieth. And 
when she pressed him much, and continually hung upon him for 
many days, giving him no time to rest, his soul fainted away, and 
was wearied even unto deatli. Then opening the truth of the thing,' he 
said to her : The razor hath never come upon my head, for I am a 
Nazarite, that is to say, consecrated to God from my mother's 
womb; if my head be shaven, my strength shall depart from me, 
and I shall become weak, and shall be like other men. Then seeing 
that he had discovered to her all his mind, she sent to the princes of 
the Philistines, saying : Come up this once more, for now he hath 
opened his heart to me. And they went up, taking with them the 
money which they had promised. But she made him sleep upon her 
knees, and lay his head in her bosom, and she called a barber, and 
shaved his seven locks, and began to drive him away, and thrust 
him from her, for immediately his strength departed from him ; and 
she said : The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And awaking 
him from his sleep, he said in his mind : I will go out as I did 
before, and shake myself, not knowing that the Lord was departed 
from him. Then the Philistines seized upon him, and forthwith 
pulled out his eyes, and led him bound in chains to Gaza, and, 
shutting him up in prison, made him grind." 

1 1. Heh, the high-priest, became judge after Samson. When Heli 
was very old, he allowed his two sons, Ophni and Phinees to minis- 
ter for Israel. By their lust and sacrilege, they called down the anger 
of God upon their father's house, and provoked His deep displeasure 
against the nation. They were a scandal and stumbling-block to 
Israel. Because Heli was negligent in correcting his sons, the Lord 
called Samuel, who was yet a child, and through him pronounced 
judgment on the house of Heli. And the Lord' said to Samuel: 
" Behold I do a thing in Israel, and whosoever shall hear it, both his 
ears shall tingle. In that day I will raise up against Heli all the 
things I have spoken concerning his house ; I will begin, and I will 
make an end. For I have foretold unto him that I will judge his 
house for ever for iniquity, because he knew that his sons did wick- 



1 6S History of God's People, | J.,"- JJ^tL'^ 

edly, and did not chastise them ; therefore have I sworn to the 
house of Heli that the iniquity of his house shall not be expiated 
with victims nor offerings for ever." At the battle of Aphec, Israel 
was defeated by the Philistines with a loss of four thousand men. 
The Ark of God was then brought from Silo into the camp ; but in 
the next batde, Israel lost thirty thousand men, Ophni and Phinees 
were slain, and the Ark of God was taken. When Heh heard that 
the Ark was in the hands of the Philistines, he fell from his stool 
backwards by the door, broke his neck, and died. He was ninety- 
eight years old. The Philistines placed the Ark in the Temple of 
Dagon at Azotus ; the idol was found broken before the ark, and the 
city was grievously afflicted. From Azotus it was carried from city 
to city, but, being everywhere accompanied by emerods and a plague, 
it was sent to Bethsames after being seven months in the land of the 
Phihstines. At Bethsames, many thousand people were slain, because 
they gazed with idle curiosity on the Ark of God. Thence it was 
brought to Cariathiarim, where it rested. 

12. The prophet Samuel was the next judge of Israel. Samuel 
spoke to all the house of Israel, saying : " If you turn to the Lord 
with all your heart, put away the strange gods from among you, 
Baahm and Astaroth ; and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and 
serve Him only, and He will deliver you out of the hand of the 
Philistines. Then the children of Israel put away Baalim and Asta- 
roth, and served the Lord only." As Samuel was praying for the 
people at Masphath, where he had assembled them to pray, the Phi- 
listines, came and began battle; but the Lord thundered with a 
great thunder on the Phihstines, so that they were terrified, over- 
thrown, pursued, and slain by the Israelites. Samuel recovered from 
the Philistines the cities which they had formerly taken from Israel. 
Samuel, the last of the Judges, was a wise and holy ruler. 

13. In the days of the Judges, there was more individual liberty 
amongst Jewish citizens, and greater autonomy among the tribes, 
than under the government of the Kings. The appointment of a 
king served to consolidate the Jewish nation, but left untouched the 
Mosaic laws and institutions. 



QUESTIONS. 

What led to the institution of Judges? What was their office? What do 
you know of Jewish chronology in the time of the Judges ? What took place 
during the interregnum after Josue? How many captivities were there? 
How many Judges? What do you know of the first bondage? Give the 
history of Aod and Eglon ? Give the history of Barac and Debbora ? State 
the substance of Debbora's canticle? Give thehistory of Gedeon? Of Abime- 
lech? Ofjephte? Of Samson? OfHeli? Of Samuel ? What effect did 
the appointment of a king have on Israel ? 



CHAPTER XXIX. 




REIGN OF SAUL, THE FIRST KING OF THE JEWS. — A.M. 2909 — A.M. 
2949. B.C. IO91 B.C. IO51. 

N his old age, Samuel appointed his sons, Joel and Abia, 
to be judges over Israel. They did not walk in the 
ways of their father, but took bribes and perverted 
judgment. The Jews became dissatisfied, and, wishing 
to be like the nations around them, went to Samuel at Ramatha, 
and demanded a king to preside over them in peace, and lead 
them to battle in time of war. Their course was displeasing to Sam- 
uel, but the Lord directed him to hearken to the wishes of the peo- 
ple, and said : " It is not you they have rejected, but Me." 

2. Saul, the son of Cis, of the tribe of Benjamin, was sent by his 
father in search of asses that were lost. After searching for them 
in Mount Ephraim, the land of Salisa, and the land of Suph, Saul 
determined to see the prophet Samuel, and went up to the city 
where he was. As Saul and his servant were walking in the midst 
of the city, Samuel was coming out over against them. Now, the 
Lord had revealed to the ear of Samuel the day before Saul came, 
saying : To-morrow about this same hour I will send thee a man of 
the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to^ be ruler over My 
people Israel ; and he shall save My people out of the hand of the 
Philistines, for I have looked down upon My people, because their 



1 70 Reign of SauL { tt It^-f, 

cry is come to Me. And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to 
him : Behold the man of whom I spoke to thee ; this man shall reign 
over My people. And Saul came to Samuel in the midst of the 
gate, and said : Tell me, I pray thee, where is the house of the seer. 
And Samuel answered Saul, saying : I am the seer ; go up before me 
to the high place, that you may eat with me to-day, and I will let 
thee go in the morning, and tell thee all that is in thy heart. And 
as for the asses, which were lost three days ago, be not solicitous, 
because they are found. And for whom shall be all the best things 
of Israel ? Shall they not be for thee and for all thy father's house ? 
And Saul answering, said : Am not I a son of Jemini of the least 
tribe of Israel, and my kindred the last among all the famihes of the 
tribe of Benjamin ? Why, then, hast thou spoken this word to me ? 
Then Samuel, taking Saul and his servant, brought them into the 
parlor, and gave them a place at the head of them that were in- 
vited ; for there were about thirty men. And Samuel said to the 
cook: Bring the portion which I gave thee and commanded thee to 
set it apart by thee. And the cook took up the shoulder, and set it 
before Saul. And Samuel said : Behold what is left, set it before 
thee, and eat; because it was kept of purpose for thee, when I in- 
vited the people. And Saul ate with Samuel that day. And they 
went down from the high place into the town, and he spoke with 
Saul upon the top of the house ; and he prepared a bed for Saul on 
the top of the house, and he slept. And when they were risen in 
the morning, and it began now to be light, Samuel called Saul on 
the top of the house, saying : Arise, that I may let thee go. And 
Saul arose; and they went out both of them, to wit, he and 
Samuel. And as they were going down in the end of the city, 
Samuel said to Saul : Speak to the servant to go before us, and pass 
on ; but stand thou still a while, that I may tell thee the word of the 
Lord. Samuel then took a little vial of oil, and poured upon Saul's 
head, and, kissing him, said : Behold the Lord hath anointed thee 
to be prince over His inheritance, and thou shalt deliver His people 
out of the hands of their enemies that are round about them. 
Samuel gave him signs to confirm him in the belief that he was a 



B.c Jo9?-5? [ Reign of Saul. 1 7 1 

prince, telling him, among other things, that he should prophesy. 
So when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave unto 
him another heart ; and all these things came to pass that day. And 
they came to the hill of God, and behold a company of prophets 
met him ; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he pro- 
phesied in the midst of them. And all that had known him yester- 
day and the day before, seeing that he was with the prophets, and 
prophesied, said to each other : What is this that hath happened to 
the son of Cis ? Is Saul also among the prophets ? And one 
answered another, saying : And who is their father ? Therefore it 
became a proverb : Is Saul also among the prophets ? 

3. Samuel assembled all Israel at Maspha by tribes, and kindreds, 
and famihes to elect a king by lot. The lot fell on the tribe of 
Benjamin, on the kindred of Metri, on Saul of the family of Cis. 
Samuel had explained to the people before the abuses into which 
kingly power might degenerate. At Ramatha, he said : " This will 
be the right of the king that shall reign over you : He will take 
your sons, and put them in his chariots, and w^ill make them his 
horsemen, and his running footmen to run before his chariots, and 
he will appoint of them to be his tribunes, and his centurions, and 
to plough his fields, and to reap his corn, and to make arms and cha- 
riots. Your daughters also he will take to make him ointments, 
and to be his cooks and bakers. And he will take your fields and 
your vineyards, and your best olive-yards, and give them to his 
servants. Moreover, he will take the tenth of your corn, and of 
the revenue of your vineyards, to give his eunuchs and servants. 
Your servants, also, and handmaids, and your goodliest young men, 
and your asses he will take away and put them to his work. Your 
flocks, also, he shall tithe, and you shall be his servants. And you 
shall cry out in that day from the face of the king whom you have 
chosen to yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you, because you 
desired unto yourselves a king." At Maspha, Samuel said : " The 
Lord brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the 
hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of all the kings who 
afflicted you ; but you, this day, have rejected your God, who alone 



T 7 2 Reigji of Saul \ ;-• J^oqj 

hath saved you out of all your evils and tribulations, and you have 
said : Nay, but set a king over us." Samuel now brought forward 
Saul, on whom the lot fell : a choice and goodly man, whose head 
and shoulders appeared above all the people. He next read 
before king and people the Law of Moses, as follows (Deuteron. c. 
xvii.) : " When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy 
God will give thee, and possessest it, and dwellest in it, and shalt 
say : I will set a king over me, as all nations have that are round 
about: thou shalt set him whom the Lord thy God shall choose 
out of the number of thy brethren. Thou mayest not make a man 
of another nation king that is not thy brother. And when he is 
made king, he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor lead back 
the people into Egypt, being Ufted up with the number of his 
horsemen, especially since the Lord hath commanded you to return 
no more the same way. He shall not have many wives, .that may 
allure his mind, nor immense sums of silver and gold. But after 
he is raised to the throne of his kingdom, he shall copy out to him- 
self the Deuteronomy of this Law in a volume, taking the copy of the 
priests of the Levitical tribe. And he shall have it with him, and 
shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the 
Lord his God, and keep His words and ceremonies that are com- 
manded in the Law. And that his heart be not lifted up with pride 
over his brethren, nor decline to the right or to the left, that he 
and his sons may reign a long time over Israel." Samuel laid up 
the Law before the Lord, and the Hebrews dispersed from Maspha 
to their homes to live under a kingly instead of a theocratic repub- 
lican form of government. 

4. A month after the appointment of Saul, Jabes, a city of Galaad, 
was besieged by Naas, King of the Ammonites. The citizens of 
Jabes sent messengers to Naas, asking the conditions of peace. He 
replied he would grant peace when he had put out their right eyes, 
so as to make them a reproach to Israel. Saul gathered an army, 
and, coming at the morning watch upon the Ammonites, routed 
them with great slaughter, and set Jabes free from the power of its 
enemies. Then the people cried to Samuel : Bring out the men 



t:":'^-f.\ Reig7t of Saul. 173 

that said : Shall Saul reign over us ? and we will kill them-. But 
Saul said : No man shall be killed this day, because the Lord this 
day hath wrought salvation in Israel. Samuel sacrificed victims of 
peace, and renewed the kingdom before the Lord at Galgal. Hav- 
ing established his own uprightness by a sign from God in thunder 
and rain, and having expressed his regret for the establishment of 
kingly power, Samuel spoke thus : •' Fear not, you have done all 
this evil : but yet depart not from following the Lord, but serve the 
Lord wqth all your heart. And turn not aside after vain things, 
which shall never profit you nor deliver you, because they are vain. 
And the Lord will not forsake His people for His great name's 
sake ; because the Lord hath sworn to make you His people. And 
far from me be this sin against the Lord, that I should cease to 
pray for you, and I will teach you the good and right way. There- 
fore, fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth and with your whole 
heart; for you have seen the great works which He hath done 
among you. But if you still do wickedly, both you and your king 
shall perish together." 

5. Saul went to war with the Philistines, having two thousand 
men under his own command in Machmas, and one thousand under 
the command of his son Jonathan in Gabaa. The Philistines came 
against Israel, having thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horse- 
men, a vast multitude of men like the sand on the sea-shore. The 
Israelites were much distressed, and hid themselves in dens, caves, 
pits, and thickets. Moreover, the shares, spades, forks, and axes 
of the Israelites were blunt, for there were no smiths in the land. 
Jonathan and his armor-b^rer overthrew a garrison of the Philis- 
tines, and a panic arose amongst them. This united and encour- 
aged the Hebrews, so that they overcame and conquered the enemy. 
On that day, Saul said : Cursed be the man that shall eat food till 
the evening, till I am revenged of my enemies. Jonathan, not 
knowing what his father had commanded, dipped his rod in a honey- 
comb, and tasted of it. When Saul was consulting the Lord, it was 
found that Jonathan was singled out by lot; and Saul said to Jona- 
than : Tell me what thou hast done. And Jonathan told him, and 




<; 






C c'; \%V-f. \ R^k^ of Saul, 1 75 

said : I did but taste a little honey with the end of the rod which 
was in my hand, and behold I must die. And Saul said : May God 
do so and so to me, and add still more; for dying thou shalt die, O 
Jonathan. And the people said to Saul : Shall Jonathan then die, 
who hath wrought this great salvadon in Israel ? This must not be : 
as the Lord Hveth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the 
ground, for he hath wrought with God this day. So the people 
delivered Jonathan, that he should not die. Saul gained signal 
victories over the Amalecites, the Ammonites, and the Idumeans. 

6. The kingly office was taken away from Saul for two reasons 
especially. Instead of waiting for Samuel, he offered a holocaust at 
Galgal ; and, when he was commanded to exterminate Amalec, he 
spared Agag, the King of Amalec, and the choicest of the spoils. 
Samuel was sent to Saul to take the kingdom from him; and, when 
Samuel was come to Saul, Saul said to him : Blessed be thou of the 
Lord; I have fulfihed the word of the Lord. And Samuel said : 
What meaneth, then, this bleadng of* the flocks which soundeth in my 
ears, and the lowing of the herds which 1 hear ? And Saul said : 
They have brought them from Amalec, for the people spared the 
best of the sheep and of the herbs that they might be sacrificed to the 
Lord thy God, but the rest we have slain. Samuel said to Saul : 
Suffer me, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this 
night. And he said to him : Speak. And Samuel said : When thou 
wast a little one in thine own eyes, wast thou not made the head of 
the tribes of Israel ? And the Lord anointed thee to be king over 
Israel, and the Lord sent thee on the way, and said : Go, and kill 
the sinners of Amalec, and thou shalt fight against them until thou 
hast utterly destroyed them. Why, then, didst thou not hearken to 
the voice of the Lord, but hast turned to the prey, and hast done 
evil in the eyes of the Lord ? Saul said to Samuel : Yea, I have 
hearkened to the voice of the Lord, and have walked in the way by 
which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag, the King of Ama- 
lec, and Amalec I have slain; but the people took of the spoils 
sheep and oxen as the first-fruits of those things that were slain, to 
offer sacrifice to the Lord their God in Galgal. And Samuel said : 



176 Reign of ScimL {"".ir^^t 

Doth the Lord desire holocausts and victims, and not rather that the 
voice of the Lord should be obeyed ? For obedience is better than 
sacrifices, and to hearken rather than to offer the fat of rams ; 
because it is like the sin of witchcraft to rebel, and like the crime 
of idolatry to refuse to obey; forasmuch therefore as thou hast 
rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord hath also rejected thee from 
being king. Saul said to Samuel : I have sinned, because I have 
transgressed the commandment of the Lord and thy words, fearing 
the people, and obeying their voice. But now bear, I beseech thee, 
my sin, and return with me, that I may adore the Lord. And Sam- 
uel said to Saul: I will not return with thee, because thou hast re- 
jected die word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from 
being king over Israel. And Samuel turned about to go away, but 
he laid hold upon the skirt of- his mantle, and it rent; and Samuel 
said to him : The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee 
this day, and hath given it to thy neighbor, who is better than thee ; 
but the Triumpher in Israel will not spare, and will not be moved to 
repentance, for He is not a man that He should repent. Then he 
said : I have sinned, yet honor me now before the ancients of my 
people, and before Israel, and return with me, that I may adore the 
Lord thy God. So Samuel turned again after Saul, and Saul adored 
the Lord. When Samuel had taken away the kingdom from Saul, 
he said : Bring hither Agag, King of Amalec. And Agag said : 
Doth bitter death separate in this manner ? Samuel said : As thy 
sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless 
among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the face 
of the Lord in Galgal. 

7. Saul's enmity to David has left an indelible stain on his cha- 
racter. David's forbearance, fortitude, humility, and sanctity, stand- 
ing in contrast with the unjustifiable and unceasing persecutions of 
Saul, at once beautify the character of the former, and blacken that of 
the latter. The love of the Princess Michol, the abiding friendship 
of Prince Jonathan, the prudence and vigilance of David, the good- 
ness of Achimelech, the beneficence of Abigail, the munificence of 
King Achis, many times saved the life of David. David might have 



B.-"- ?^"4? \ R^k^ of Saul. I ^^ 

slaiii Saul in the cave of Engaddi and in the desert of Ziph, had he 
wished. 

8. Saul was troubled with an evil spirit from God, and was for- 
saken of God. At length the Philistines gathered their armies 
asainst Israel, and Saul went out to meet them at Gelboe. And 
Saul saw the army of the Philistines, and was afraid, and his heart 
was very much dismayed. And he consulted the Lord, and He 
answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by priests, nor by pro- 
phets. And Saul said to his servants : Seek me a woman that hath 
a divining spirit, and I will go to her and enquire by her. And his 
servants said to him : There is a woman that hath a divining spirit 
at Endor. Then he disguised himself, and put on other clothes, 
and he went, and two men with him ; and they came to the woman 
by night, and he said to her : Divine to me by thy divining spirit, 
and bring me up him whom T shall tell thee. And the woman said 
to him : Behold, thou knowest all that Saul hath done, and how he 
hath rooted out the magicians and soothsayers from the land ; why, 
then, dost thou lay a snare for my life, to cause me to be put to 
death ? And Saul swore unto her by the Lord, saying : As the Lord 
liveth, there shall no evil happen to thee for this thing. And the 
woman said to him : Whom shall I bring up to tliee ? And he said : 
Bring me up Samuel. And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried 
out with a loud voice, and said to Saul : Why hast thou deceived 
me ? for thou art Saul. And the king said to her : Fear not ; Avhat 
hast thou seen ? And the woman said to Saul : I saw gods ascend- 
ing out of the earth. And he said to her: What form is he of? 
And she said : An old man cometh up, and he is covered with a man- 
tle. And Saul understood that it was Samuel, and he bowed himself 
with his face to the ground, and adored. And Samuel said to Saul : 
Why hast thou disturbed my rest, that I should be brought up ? 
And Saul said : I am in great distress ; for the Philistines fight against 
me, and God is departed from me, and would not hear me, neither 
by the hand of prophets nor by dreams ; therefore I have called thee, 
that thou mayest show me what I shall do. And Samuel said : Why 
askest thou me, seeing the Lord has departed from thee, and is gone 



178 Reign of SauL It'-^S^s? 

over to thy rival ? For the Lord will do to thee as He spoke by me, 
and He will rend thy kingdom out of thy hand, and will" give it to 
thy neighbor David ; because thou didst not obey the v> ice of the 
Lord, neither didst thou execute the wrath of His indignation upon 
Amalec ; therefore hath the Lord done to thee what thou sufferest 
this day. And the Lord also will deliver Israel with thee into the 
hands of the Philistines ; and to-morrow thou and thy sons shall be 
with me ; and the Lord will also deliver the army of Israel into the 
hands of the Philistines. Next day the Israehtes were overthrown 
in battle, and three sons of Saul, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Melchisua, 
slain. The whole weight of the battle turning upon Saul, the Phi- 
listine archers overtook and grievously wounded him. Then Saul 
said to his armor-bearer : Draw thy sword and kill me, lest these 
uncircumcised come and slay me, and mock at me. And his armor- 
bearer would not, for he was struck with exceeding great fear ; then 
Saul took his sword, and fell upon it. And when his armor-bearer 
saw this, to wit, that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword, and 
died with him. So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor- 
bearer, and all his men that same day together. 

9. St. Paul says Saul reigned forty years (Acts xiii. 21) ; but some 
of these years must have been conjointly with Samuel. Josephus 
states that Samuel judged Israel twelve years alone, Samuel and 
Saul ruled eighteen years together, and Saul twenty-two years 
alone. 

QUESTIONS. 

What led to a kingly form of government among the Jews ? Describe how 
Saul was chosen and anointed? Give the doctrine of Samuel on kingly 
powers? What does Deuteronomy say ? What do you know of the siege 
of Jabes by the Ammonites? What did Samuel say on renewing the king 
dom at Galgal ? Give an account of the war with the Philistines ? How did 
Jonathan escape death from his father? How was the kingly office taken 
away from Saul? How did Samuel treat Agag? What causes led to the 
taking away of the kingly office from Saul ? How did Saul treat David ? 
What evils afflicted Saul? Describe what took place with the witch of 
Endor? What occurred in the battle next day with the Philistines? What 
times do St. Paul and Josephus assign to the reign of Saul ? 




D. & i. 6ADUIER 8l CO,, W. Y. 



WM 


I 



B.c!' losT-ii |- ^^^^' Reign of King David, 1 79 



CHAPTER XXX. 

THE REIGN OF KING DAVID. A.M. 2949 A.M. 2989. — B.C. IO51 

B.C. lOII. 

FTER the rejection of Saul to be King of Israel, the 
Lord directed Samuel to go into Bethlehem, and, tak- 
ing with him a horn of oil, anoint the king that was 
provided among the sons of Isai. Samuel went to 
Bethlehem, sanctified Isai and his sons, and called them to a sacri- 
fice. And when they were come in, he saw Eliab, and said : Is the 
Lord's anointed before him ? And the Lord said to Samuel : Look 
not on his countenance, nor on the height of his stature ; because I 
have rejected him, nor do I judge according to the look of man ; 
for man seeth those things that appear, but the Lord beholdeth the 
heart. And Isai called Abinadab, and brought him before Samuel. 
And he said : Neither hath the Lord chosen this. And Isai brought 
Samma, and he said of him : Neither hath the Lord chosen this. 
Isai therefore brought his seven sons before Samuel ; and Samuel 
said to Isai : The Lord hath not chosen any one of these. And 
Samuel said to Isai : Are here all thy sons ? He answered : There 
remaineth yet a young one, who keepeth the sheep. And Samuel 
said to Isai: Send, and fetch him, for we will not sit down till he 
come hither. He sent, therefore, and brought him. Now, he was 
ruddy and beautiful to behold, and of a comely face. And the Lord 
said : Arise, and anoint him, for this is he. Then Samuel took the 
horn of oil, and anointed David in the midst of his brethren ; and 
the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. 

2. Afterwards, David became a harper in the palace to soothe an 
evil spirit which came upon Saul. Now, it happened that war broke 
out between the Philistines and Israel. At the Valley of Terebinth, 
the Philistines stood marshalled on a mountain on one side, and the 
Israelites were arrayed on a mountain on the other side. Goliath, a 
giant of Geth, whose height was six cubits and a span, came out in 
formidable armor, and for forty days defied the army of Israel. 



i8o The Reign of King David, Ibx!?"'? 



1051-11 



David came into the camp on an errand from his father, and some 
one of Israel said : Have you seen this man that is come up, for he 
is come to defy Israel ? And the man that shall slay him the king 
will enrich with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and will 
make his father's house free from tribute in Israel. And David spoke 
to the men that stood by him, saying : What shall be given to the 
man that shall kill this Philistine, and shall take away the reproach 
from Israel ? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he 
should defy the armies of the living God ? And the people answered 
him the same words, saying : These things shall be given to the man 
that shall slay him. Now, when Eliab, his eldest brother, heard this, 
when he was speaking with others, he was angry with David, and said : 
Why camest thou hither ? and why didst thou leave those few sheep 
in the desert ? I know thy pride and the wickedness of thy heart, 
that thou art come down to see the battle. And David said : What 
have I done ? is there not cause to speak ? And he turned a little 
aside from him to another, and said the same word. And the people 
answered him as before. And the words which David spoke were 
heard and were rehearsed before Saul. And when he was brought 
to Saul, he said to him : Let not any man's heart be dismayed in 
him; I, thy servant, will go, and will fight against the Philistine. 
And Saul said to David : Thou art not able to withstand this Phi- 
listine, nor to fight against him, for thou art but a boy, but he is a 
warrior from his youth. And David said to Saul : Thy servant kept 
his father's sheep, and there came a lion, or a bear, and took a ram 
out of the midst of the flock. And I pursued after them, and struck 
them, and delivered it out of their mouth, and they rose up against 
me, and I caught them by the beard, and I strangled and killed 
them. For I, thy servant, have killed both a lion and a bear : and 
this uncircumcised Philistine shall be also as one of them. I will go 
DOW and take away the reproach of the people ; for who is this un- 
circumcised Phihstine who hath dared to curse the army of the living 
God ? And David said : The Lord who delivered me out of the 
paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear. He will deliver me 
out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David : Go, 



H-c!' i^s?-!? \ The Reig7i of King David, 1 8 1 

rdul the Lord be with thee. And Saul clothed David with his gar- 
ments, and put a helmet of brass upon his head, and armed him with 
a coat of mail. And David, having girded his sword upon his armor, 
beo-an to try if he could walk in armor, for he was not accustomed 
to it. And David said to Saul : I cannot go thus, for I am not used 
to it ; and he laid them off. And he took his staff, which he had 
always in his hands, and chose him five smooth stones out of the 
brook, and put them into the shepherd's scrip which he had with 
him, and took a sling in his hand, and went forth against the PhiHs- 
tines. And the Philistine came on, and drew nigh against David, 
and his armor-bearer went before him. And when the Philistine 
looked, and beheld David, he despised him. For he was a young 
man, ruddy, and of a comely countenance. And the Philistine said 
to David : Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with a staff? And 
the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And he said to David : 
Come to me, and I will give thy flesh to the birds of the air and to 
the beasts of the earth. Apd David said to the Philistine : Thou 
comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield ; 
but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of 
the armies of Israel, which thou hast defied. This day the Lord 
will deliver thee into my hand, and I will slay thee, apd take away 
thy head from thee; and I will give the carcasses of the army of 
the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the beasts of 
the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 
And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with 
sword and spear; for it is His battle, and He will deliver you into 
our hands. And when the Philistine arose and was coming, and 
drew nigh to meet David, David made haste, and ran to the 
fight to meet the Philistine. He put his hand into his scrip, and 
took a stone, and cast it with a sling, and, fetching it about, struck 
the Philistine in the forehead ; and the stone was fixed in his fore- 
head, and he fell on his face upon the earth. And David prevailed 
over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck and slew 
the Philistine. And as David had no sword in his hand, he ran and 
stood over the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the 



1 8 2 The Reign of King David, \ J. j; ^^^^-s? 

sheath, and slew him, and cut off his head. And the Phihstines, 
seeing that their champion was dead, fled away. After the defeat 
of the Phihstines, David married Michol, Saul's daughter, and made 
a covenant with Jonathan, for he loved him as his own soul. When 
Saul was returning from the battle, he heard the women of the cities 
playing, and dancing, and singing : Saul slew his thousands, but 
David his ten thousands. This provoked his anger and jealousy, so 
that he endeavored to kill David to the end of his days. 

3. The death of Saul and Jonathan was announced to David at 
Siceleg by an Amalecite, who brought the helmet and bracelet of 
Saul, and said he had slain him. David ordered the Amalecite to 
he put to death, and then mourned for Saul and Jonathan after this 
manner : *' The illustrious of Israel are slain upon thy mountains : 
How are the vaHant fallen ! Tell it not in Geth, publish it not in 
the streets of Ascalon ; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, 
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. Ye mountains of 
Gelboe, let neither dew nor rain com^ upon you, neither let there 
be fields of first-fruits ; for there was cast away the shield of the 
vahant, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with 
oil. From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the valiant, the 
arrow of Jonathan never turned back, and the sword of Saul did 
not return empty. Saul and Jonathan, lovely and comely in their 
life, even in death they were not divided ; they were swifter than 
eagles, stronger than lions. Ye daughters of Israel, weep over 
Saul, who clothed you with scarlet in dehghts, who gave ornaments 
of gold for your attire. How are the valiant fallen in battle ? Jona- 
than slain in the high places ? I grieve for thee, my brother Jona- 
than, exceedingly beautiful, and amiable to me above the love of 
women. As the mother loveth her only son, so did I love thee. 
How are the valiant fallen, and the weapons of war perished ?" 

4. From Siceleg, David, with his followers, passed to Hebron, 
where he was anointed King of Juda. Abner, the general of Saul's 
army, appointed Isboseth King of Israel. After two years a fight 
took place between Joab, the leader of David's forces, and Abner, 
in which Abner was put to flight. Abner lost three hundred and 



tr. \i^ r T/ie Reign of King David, 1 83 

sixty men, J oab twenty; but Asael, Joab's brother, while following 
,in the pursuit, was slam by Abner. Abner, being insulted by Isbo- 
seth, made a league with David, and brought him back Michol 
whom Saul had given to another man. Joab, to avenge his bro- 
ther's death, perfidiously slew Abner. David, mourning and lamenting 
over Abner, said ; Not as cowards are wont to die hath Abner died. 
I'hy hands were not bound, nor thy feet loaded Avith fetters ; but as 
men fall before the children of iniquity, so didst thou fall. And all 
the people, repeating it, wept over him. Baana and Rechab mur- 
dered Isboseth, and brought his head to David; but David answered 
Rechab, and Baana his brother, the sons of Remmon the Berothite, 
and said to them : As the Lord liveth, who hath delivered my soul 
out of all distress, the man that told me, and said: Saul is dead, 
who thought he brought good tidings, I apprehended, and slew him 
in Siceleg, who should' have been rewarded for his news. How 
much more novv when wicked men have slain an innocent ma^i in 
his own house, upon his bed, shall 1 not require his blood at your 
hand, and take you away from the earth ? The servants of David 
slew them, and, cutting off their hands and feet, hanged them up 
over the pool in Hebron. The head of Isboseth was buried in 
tlie sepulchre of Abner. 

5. The twelve tribes and their elders now came to Hebron, and 
anointed David King of all Israel. Some time after, David took the 
citadel of Sion from the Jebusites, and there founded the city of 
David. There he fixed the seat of his government. After he had 
twice defeated the Philistines, he brought with great solemnity the 
Ark from Cariathiarim to the house of Obededom, where it abode 
tliree months, and thence to Jerusalem. David being at rest with 
all his enemies, and the Ark being in Jerusalem, the prophet Nathan 
was consulted : Dost thou see that I dwell in a house of cedar, and 
the Ark of God is lodged within skins. And Nathan said to the 
king : Go do all that is in thy heart, because the Lord is with thee. 
But it came to pass that night that the word of the Lord came to 
Nathan, saying: Go, and say to My servant David: Thus saith the 
Lord : Shalt thou build Me a house to dwell in .^ Whereas I have 



1 84 The Reign of King David, \ ^-J^- ^^^^^^, 

not dwelt in a house from the day that I brought the children of 
Israel out of the land of Egypt even to this day, but have walked in 
a tabernacle, and in a tent ; in all the places that I have gone 
through with all the children of Israel, did I ever speak a word to 
any one of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed My 
people Israel, saying: Why have you not built Me a house of 
cedar ? And now thus shalt thou speak to My servant David : Thus 
saith the Lord of hosts : I took thee out of the pastures from follow- 
ing the sheep to be ruler over My people Israel, and I have been 
with thee wheresoever thou hast walked,. and have slain all thy ene- 
mies from before thy face, and I have made thee a great name, like 
unto the name of the great ones that are on the earth ; and I will 
appoint a place for My people Israel, and I will plant them, and 
they shall dwell therein, and shall be disturbed no more, neither 
shall the children of iniquity afflict them any more as they did 
before, from the day that I appointed judges over My people Israel, 
and I will give thee rest from all thy enemies. And the Lord fore- 
telleth to thee, that the Lord will make thee a house. And when 
thy days shall be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I 
will raise up thy seed after thee, and I will establish his king- 
dom ; he shall build to My name, and I will establish the throne of 
his kingdom for ever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to 
me a son, and if he commit any iniquity, I will correct him with 
the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men. But 
my mercy I will not take away from him as I took it from Saul, 
whom I removed from before My face. And thy house shall be 
faithful, and thy kingdom for ever before thy face, and thy throne 
shall be firm for ever. 

6. In quick succession, David placed the Philistines and Moabites 
under tribute. From Adarezer, the King of Soba, he took one thou- 
sand seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand footmen. Of 
the Syrians who came to succor Adarezer, David slew twenty-two 
thousand men. Thou, the King of Eraath, an enemy of Adarezer, 
sent .vessels of gold, and vessels of silver, and vessels of brass. 
King David dedicated them to the Lord, together with the silver 



u.c! iS?:??!" The Reign of King David. 185 

and gold that he had dedicated of all the nations which he had 
subdued, of Syria, and of Moab, and of the children of Amnion, and 
of the PhiHstines, and of Amalec, and of the spoils of Adarezer, the 
son of Rohob, King of Soba. David also made himself a name 
Avhen he returned after taking Syria in the Valley of the Salt Pits, 
killing eighteen thousand. And he put guards in Edom, and placed 
there a garrison; and all Edom was made to serve David. David 
sent ambassadors to express his sorrow for the death of Naas, King 
of the Ammonites. Hanon, son of Naas, shaved off half their beards 
and cut away half of their garments. This was the cause of war 
between Israel and Ammon. The Ammonites hired the Syrians. 
David sent his generals against them, Joab and Joab's brother, 
Abisai. And the children of Ammon came out, and set their men 
in array at the entering in of the gate; but the Syrians of Soba, and 
of Rohob, and of Istob, and of Maacha were by themselves in the 
field. Then Joab, seeing that the battle was prepared against him, 
both before and behind, chose of all the choice men of Israel, and 
put them in array against the Syrians; and the rest of the people he 
delivered to Abisai, his brother, who set them in array against the 
children of Ammon. Joab said : If the Syrians are too strong 
for me, then thou shalt help me ; but if the children of Ammon are 
too strong for thee, then I will help thee. Be of good courage, and 
let us fight for our people, and for the city of our God, and the Lord 
will do what is good in His sight. And Joab and the people that 
were with him began to fight against the Syrians; and they immedi- 
ately fled before him. And the children of Ammon seeing that the 
Syrians were fled, they fled also before Abisai, and entered into the 
city ; and Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to 
Jerusalem. The Syrians afterward went to war with Israel, and lost 
seven hundred chariots and forty thousand men, and were placed 
under tribute. 

7. David, now in the height of prosperity and power, became an 
adulterer with Bethsabee, and a murderer of her husband, Urias. 
The Lord sent the prophet Nathan with this parable to David : 
" There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor. 













^^i 









B.C.' ll'^'it I ^/^^ J^eiou of King David, 1 8 7 

The rich man had exceeding many sheep and oxen ; but the poor 
man had nothing at all but one little ewe-lamb, which he had bought 
and nourished up, and which had grown up in his house together 
with his children, eating of his bread, and drinking of his cup, and 
sleeping in his bosom ; and it was unto him as a daughter. And 
when a certain stranger was come to the rich man, he spared to take 
of his own sheep and oxen to make a feast for that stranger who was 
come to him, but took the poor man's ewe, and dressed it for the 
man that was come to him. David's .anger being exceedingly- 
kindled against that man, he said to Nathan : As the Lord liveth, the 
man that hath done this is a child of death. He shall restore the 
ewe fourfold, because he did this thing, and had no pity. Nathan 
said to David : Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord the 
God of Israel : I anointed thee King over Israel, and I delivered 
thee from the hand of Saul, and gave thee thy master's house, and 
thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel 
and Juda; and if these things, be little, I shall add far greater things 
unto thee. Why, therefore, hast thou despised the word of the Lord, 
to do evil in my sight ? Thou hast killed Urias the Hethite with 
the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him 
with the sword of the children of Ammon." 

8. God sent afflictions on the house of David because of his sin, 
but spared his posterity. The child that was born of Bethsabee unto 
David died. Amnon, David's son, sinned with Thamar, his sister, 
and was slain by his brother, Absalom. Absalom defiled his father's 
bed, and was slain in a conspiracy against him whilst " hanging on 
an oak between the heavens and the earth." Semei, of the kindred 
of Saul, threw stones at David in Bahurim, and cursed him, saying : 
*' Come out, come out, thou man of blood and thou man of Belial. 
The Lord hath repaid thee for all the blood the house of Saul, 
because thou hast usurped the kingdom in his stead, and the Lord 
hath given the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son ; and 
behold thy evils press upon thee, because thou art a man of blood." 
Seba, the son of Bochri, a man of Jemini, rebelled against David ; 
and he sounded the trumpet, and said : We have no part in David, 



1 88 The Reig7i of King David. \ it llf:.l', 

nor inheritance in the son of Isai ; return to thy dwelHngs, O Israel. 
And all Israel departed from David, and followed Seba, the son of 
Bochri ; but the men of Juda stuck to their king from the Jordan 
unto Jerusalem. Seba was pursued by Joab to Abela. There he 
was slain, and his head cast over the wall to Joab. In this rebellion 
Joab perfidiously slew Amasa. Because Saul violated the treaty 
which Josue made with the Gabaonites, God sent a three years' 
famine in David's reign. War broke out with the Philistines, and 
four battles were fought, in one of which David came near being 
killed. When David wished to take a census of the people, God 
sent a pestilence, to which prayer and sacrifice put an end. Adonias, 
a son of David, who had with him Joab, the general of the army, 
and Abiathar, the priest, proclaimed himself king. By the advice of 
Nathan the prophet, and at the instigation of Bethsabee, Solomon, 
her son, was appointed king. Yielding to them, King David said: 
Call me Sadoc the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Banaias, 
the son of Joiada. And when they \yere come in before the king, 
he said to them : Take with you the servants of your lord, and set 
my son Solomon upon my mule, and bring him to Gihon ; and let 
Sadoc the priest, and Nathan the prophet, anoint him there king 
over Israel; and you shall sound the trumpet, and shall say : God 
save King Solomon. And you shall come up after him, and he shall 
come and shall sit upon my throne, and he shall reign in my 
stead, and I will appoint him to be ruler over Israel, and over Juda. 
They did as they were ordered. Solomon was anointed king, and 
sat on the throne of his father David. 

9. When the days of David were drawing to a close, he called to 
him his son Solomon, and delivered the following dying charge: I 
am going the way of all the earth ; take thou courage, and show 
thyself a man. Keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in 
His ways, and observe His ceremonies, and His precepts, and judg- 
ments, and testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that thou 
mayest understand all thou dost, and whithersoever thou sholt turn 
thyself; that the Lord may confirm His words which He hath spoken 
of me, saying: If thy children shall take heed to their ways, and 



B.c!' llttll \ The Reign of King David, 1 89 

shall walk before Me in truth, with all their heart and with all 
their soul, there shall not be taken away from thee a man on the 
throne of Israel. Thou knowest also what Joab, the son of Sarvia, 
hath done to me, what he did to the two captains of the army of 
Israel, to Abner, the son of Ner, and to Amasa, the son of Jether, 
whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the 
blood of war on his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes 
that were on his feet. Do, therefore, according to thy wisdom, and 
let not his hoary head go down to hell in peace. But show kind- 
ness to the sons of Berzellai the Galaadite, and let them eat at thy 
table, for they met me when I fled from the face of Absalom, thy 
brother. Thou hast also with thee Semei, the son of Gera, the son 
of Jemini of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse when I 
went to the camp ; but because he came down to meet me when I 
passed over the Jordan, and I swore to him by the Lord, saying : I 
will not kill thee with the sword, do not thou hold him guiltless. 
But thou art a wise man, and knowest what to do with him, and thou 
shalt bring down his gray hairs with blood to the grave. David 
reigned forty years, and died in the seventieth year of his age. He 
was a wise and holy king, and a man of much affliction. Although 
he fell into sin, he has been canonized by the Inspired Writings as a 
prince according to the heart of God. 

QUESTIONS. 

State the particulars of David's anointment as King of Israel ? Give the 
career of David up to Saul's enmity against him ? What led to the enmity of 
Saul ? How did David receive the news of S^ul and Jonathan's death ? Give 
the history of David's reign at Hebron ? How was David made King of all 
Israel ? What does the Bible state of David's intention to build a temple? 
What do you know of the conquests of the Jews under David? How did 
David become a sinner? What message did God send by the prophet 
Nathan? What afflictions did God send on the house of David? Describe 
them severally? How did Solomon become king ? What was David's dying 
charge to Solomon? How long did David live? How long did he reign? 
What was his character? 




190 The Reign 0/ Kmg Solomon, \'^'!'c: \tjT-ln 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

THE REIGN OF KING SOLOMON. A.M. 2989 — A.M. 3029. — 

B.C. lOII B.C. 971. 

OLOMON was not unmindful of his father's dying 
charge. His first care was to exterminate Adonias and 
his co-conspirators. When Bethsabee, the mother of 
Solomon, requested that Abisag, the concubine whom 
David had left a virgin, should be given to Adonias, the king an- 
swered : " Why dost thou ask Abisag the Sunamitess for Adonias.^ 
Ask for him also the kingdom, for he is my elder brother, and hath 
Abiathar the priest and Joab the son of Sarvia." On that day, by 
Solomon's order, Adonias was slain by Banaias the son of Joiada. 
Solomon next called Abiathar the priest, and cast him out, saying : 
" Go to Anathoth to thy lands, for indeed thou art worthy of death ; 
but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou didst carry 
the Ark of the Lord God before David my father, and hast endured 
trouble in all the trouble my father endured." As soon as Joab 
heard of the death of Adonias and the banishment of Abiathar, he fled 
to the altar of the tabernacle. There, at Solomon's command, he was 
slain by Banaias. Afterwards, Solomon sent for Semei, who had reviled 
and insulted David. Semei was commanded to dwell in Jerusalem, 
and forbidden under pain of death to pass over the brook Cedron. 
After three years, Semei violated the command by going to Geth in 
pursuit of fugitive servants, and was put to death by Banaias. 
Solomon caused Sadoc to be anointed priest, and constituted 
Banaias general of the army. 

2. The Hebrew nation reached the acme of peace, prosperity, 
wealth, power, magnificence, and glory under the reign of Solomon. 
Solomon was without domestic foes, and at peace with the nations 
round about. His kingdom extended from the Euphrates to the 
land of the Philistines, even to the borders of Egypt. The kings of 
the nations that David conquered paid him tribute; and Juda and 
Israel dwelt without any fear, every one under his own vine and 



;*'• f 989-3029 ^ The Reign of King Solomon, 191 

under his fig-tree, from Dan to Bersabee. Solomon appointed 
governors over the twelve tribes of Israel, and strengthened his 
throne by marrying the daughter of Pharao, King of Egypt. Juda 
and Israel were as innumerable as the sand of the sea in multitude, 
and lived eating, and drinking, and rejoicing. 

3. When Solomon saw his sceptre firmly established, he went up 
to Gabaon, tiie greatest high place, and sacrificed upon its altar a 
thousand victims in holocausts. Then the Lord appeared to him in 
a dream, and said : Ask what thou wilt that i should give thee. Solo- 
mon said: Thou hast showed great mercy to Thy servant, 
David my father, even as he walked before Thee in truth, and justice, 
and an upright heart with Thee : and Thou hast kept Thy great mercy 
for him, and hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this 
day. Now, O Lord God, Thou hast made Thy servant king instead 
of David my father, and I am but a child, and know not how to 
go out and come in. Thy servant is in the midst of the people 
which Thou hast chosen, an immense people, which cannot be num- 
bered nor counted for multitude. Give, therefore, to Thy servant an 
understanding heart to judge Thy people, and discern between good 
and evil. For who shall be able to judge this people, Thy people 
which is so numerous ? And the word was pleasing to the Lord, 
that Solomon had asked such a thing. And the Lord said to Solo- 
mon : Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for 
thyself long life nor riches, nor the lives of thy enemies, but hast 
asked for thyself wisdom to discern judgment, behold I have 
done for thee according to thy words, and have given thee a wise 
and understanding heart, in so much that there hath been no one 
like thee before thee, nor shall arise after thee. Yea, and the things 
also which thou didst not ask I have given thee, to wit, riches and 
glory, so that no one hath been like thee among the kings in all 
days heretofore. And if thou wilt walk in My ways, and keep My 
precepts, and My commandments, as thy .father walked, I will 
lengthen thy days. On his return from Gabaon, Solomon showed 
great wisdom in the case of two women who contended for a baby, 
each claiming to be the mother. "Let the baby be divided," said 



192 The Reign of King Solomon. -j tcl' loi?!^?'! 

Solomon. " No," answered one. " Yes," replied the other. Solo- 
mon saw that the real mother by natural mstinct wished to save the 
baby's life, and delivered it to her. The Bible thus describes the 
wisdom of Solomon : " God gave to Solomon wisdom and under- 
standing exceeding much, and largeness of heart as the sand that 
is on the sea-shore. And the wisdom of Solomon surpassed the wis- 
dom of all the Orientals and of the Egyptians. He was wiser than all 
men : wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and 
Dorda, the sons of Mahol, and he was renowned in all nations round 
about. Solomon, also, spoke three thousand parables; and his poems 
were a thousand and five. He treated about trees, from the cedar 
that is in Libanus unto the hyssop that cometh out of the wall ; and 
he discoursed of beasts, and of fowls, and of creeping things, and of 
fishes. And they came from all nations to hear the wisdom of 
Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who heard of his wis- 
dom." 

4. The great glory of Solomon's reign was the building of the 
temple. David had purposed to build a house to God, but was 
forbidden, because he was a man of war. He left, however, his 
successor, Solomon, materials and wealth for its construction. Solo- 
mon entered into an agreement with Hiram, King of Tyre, to 
furnish skilful workmen, for the Sidonians were better artificers 
than the, Israelites. Thirty thousand men, ten thousand each month 
by turns, were employed to cut down wood on Mount Libanus, 
seventy thousand in carrying burdens, and eighty thousand in stone 

V quarries. Over them were set three thousand three hundred over- 
seers. 

5. In the fourth year of the reign of King Solomon, four hundred 
and eighty years after the exodus, one thousand and eight years 
before the coming of Christ, two thousand nine hundred and nine- 
ty-two years after the creation of the world, two-and-forty years 
after the foundation of Tyre, Solomon began to build his temple to 
the Lord God of Israel. All the material was brought to Jerusalem 

I y in a state of preparation, so that there was no sound of hammer or 
mechanical instrument. After seven years, the temple was com- 



\J 



-f- '^^-4ia*x3 3|K: 



'■■••> ' ^^ ^ ■ 
b!"' xo?i-^97? [ The Reig7t of King Solomon. 193 

pleted, and is thus described in Scripture : " And the house which 
King Solomon built to the Lord was threescore cubits in length, 
and twenty cubits in breadth, and thirty cubits in height. And 
there was a porch before the temple of twenty cubits in length, 
according to the measure of the breadth of the temple ; and it was 
ten cubits in breadth before the face of the temple. And he made 
in the temple oblique windows. And upon the wall of the temple 
he built floors round about, in the walls of the house round about 
the temple and the oracle, and he made chambers in the sides 
round about. The floor that was underneath was five cubits in 
breadth, and the middle floor was six cubits in breadth, and the 
third floor was seven cubits in breadth. And he put beams in the 
house round about on the outside, that they might not be fastened 
in the walls of the temple. And the house when it was in building 
was built of stones hewed and made ready ; so that there was neither 
hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house when it was 
in building. The door for the middle side was on the right hand 
of the house ; and by winding stairs they went up to the middle 
room, and from the middle to the third. So he built the house, 
and finished it ; and he covered the house with roofs of cedar. And 
he built a floor over all the house five cubits in height, and he 
covered the house with timber of cedar. And he built the walls of 
the house on the inside with boards of cedar, from the floor of the 
house to the top of the walls, and to the roofs he covered it with 
boards of cedar on the inside; and he covered the floor of the 
house with planks of fir. And he built up twenty cubits with boards 
of cedar at the hinder part of the temple, from the floor to the top ; 
and made the inner house of the oracle to be the Holy of Holies. 
And the temple itself before the doors of the oracle was forty cubits 
long. And all the house was covered within with cedar, having 
the turnings and the joints thereof artfully wrought, and carvings 
projecting out : all was covered with boards of cedar, and no stone \J 
could be seen in the wall at all. And he made the oracle in the 
midst of the house, in the inner part, to set there the Ark of the 
covenant of the Lord, Now, the oracle was twenty cubits in 



v> 



1 94 The Reign of King Solomon. \ ^•^- ""SX-ZX 

length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in height ; 
and he covered and overlaid it with most pure gold; and the altar 
also he covered with cedar. And the house before the oracle he over- 
laid with most pure gold, and fastened on the plates with nails of 
gold. And there was nothing in the temple that was not covered 
with gold : the whole altar of the oracle he covered also with gold. 
And he made in the oracle two cherubim of olive-tree, of ten cubits 
in height. One wing of the cherub was five cubits, and the other 
wing of the cherub was five cubits : that is, in all ten cubits, from 
the extremity of one wing to the extremity of the other wing. The 
second cherub also was ten cubits ; and the measure and the work 
was the same in both the cherubim. That is to say, one cherub was 
ten cubits high, and in like manner the other cherub. And he set 
the cherubim in the midst of the inner temple ; and the cherubim 
stretched forth their wings, and the wing of the one touched one 
wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; aad 
the other wings in the midst of the temple touched one another. 
And he overlaid the cherubim with gold. And all the walls of 
the temple round about he carved with divers figures and carv- 
ings ; and he made in them cherubim and palm-trees, and divers 
representations, as it were standing out, and coming forth from the 
wall. And the floor of the house he also overlaid with gold within 
and without. And in the entrance of the oracle he made little doors 
of ohve-tree, and posts of five corners. And two doors of oHve-tree : 
and he carved upon them figures of cherubim, and figures of palm- 
trees, and carvings very much projecting ; and he overlaid them with 
gold ; and he covered both the cherubim and the palm-trees, and the 
other things, with gold. And he made in the entrance of the temple 
posts of olive-tree four-square, and two doors of fir-tree, one of each 
side ; and each door was double, and so opened with folding leaves. 
And he carved cherubim, and palm-trees, and carved work stand- 
ing very much out ; and he overlaid all with golden plates in square 
work by rule. And he built the inner court with three rows of 
polished stones, and one row of beams of cedar." 

6. The following instruments for the service of the temple were 



B.c!' i2i?-^97M" The Reign of King Solomon, 195 

made of fine brass, and cast in the plains of the Jordan between 
Socoth and Sarthan : the caldrons, and shovels, and basins, the 
two pillars, and the two cords of the chapiters, upon the chapiters of 
the pillars, the two net-works to cover tlie two^ cords that were upon 
the tops of the pillars, the ten bases, and the ten lavers on the bases, 
and one sea, and twelve oxen under the sea. And Solomon made 
all the vessels for the house of the Lord, the altar of gold, and the 
table of gold, upon which the loaves of proposition should be set; 
and the golden candlesticks, five on the right hand, and five on the 
left, over against the oracle, of pure gold, and the flowers like lilies, 
and the lamps over them of gold, and golden snuffers, and pots, and 
flesh-hooks, and bowls, and mortars, and censers, of most pure gold, 
and the hinges for the doors of the inner house of the Holy of 
Holies, and for the doors of the house of the temple, were of gold. 

7. Solomon, on the completion of the temple, assembled the elders 
of Israel, the princes of tlie tribes, the priests, and heads of families, 
and all the people, to the dedication of the temple. With all kinds 
of musical instruments, and with the sacrifice of innumerable sheep 
and oxen, the temple was dedicated, and was immediately filled with 
the glory of the Lord in a cloud. The priests could not minister by 
reason of thp glory of the Lord. Solomon prayed for the house of 
David, and for all fhem that were to pray in the temple, whether 
Jews or strangers. He then turned to the people, and blessed them, 
saying : Blessed be the Lord, who hath given rest to His people 
Israel according to all that He promised ; there hath not failed so 
much as one word of all the good things that He promised by 
His servant Moses. The Lord our God be with us, as He was with 
pur fathers, and not leave us, nor cast us ofl"; but may He incline 
our hearts to Himself, that we may walk in all His ways, and keep 
His commandments, and His ceremonies, and all His judgments 
which He commanded our fathers. And let these my words, where- 
with I have prayed before the Lord, be nigh unto the Lord our 
God day and night, that He may do judgment for His servant, and 
for His people Israel day by day, that all the people of the earth 
may know that the Lord He is God, and there is no other besides 



J.c!' io??-^97? [ -^^^^ Reign of King Solomon. 197 

Him. Let our heart also be perfect with the Lord our God, that 
we may walk in His statutes, and keep His commandments, as at 
this day. 

8. The victims of peace-offerings which Solomon sacrificed were 
two-and-twenty thousand oxen, and one hundred and twenty thou- 
sand sheep. After a solemn feast, he dismissed all Israel to their 
homes, having accomplished the greatest feat in the history of the 
Jewish race. 

9. Solomon spent thirteen years in building and bringing to per- 
fection a palace for himself. He built also the house of the forest 
of Libanus, the length of it was a hundred cubits, and the breadth 
fifty cubits, and the height thirty cubits, and four galleries between 
pillars of cedar, for he had cut cedar-trees into pillars. And he 
covered the w^hole vault with boards of cedar, and it was held up 
with five-and-forty pillars; and one row had fifteen pillars, set one 
against another, and looking one upon another, with equal space 
between the pillars, and over the pillars were square beams in all 
things equal. And he made a porch of pillars of fifty cubits in 
length, and thirty cubits in breadth, and another porch before the 
greater porch, and pillars, and chapiters upon the pillars. He made 
also the porch of the throne, wherein is the seat of judgment, and 
covered it with cedar-wood from the floor to the top, and in the 
midst of the porch was a small house where he sat in judgment of 
the like work. He likewise built a palace for the daughter of King 
Pharao. He built the wall of Jerusalem, Heser, Mageddo, Baalath, 
and Palmyra in the land of the wilderness. Gazer was taken and 
burnt by Pharao, who made a present of it to his daughter, the wife 
of Solomon. So Solomon built Gazer. He furthermore walled the 
cities that were not walled, and fortified the towns of his dominion. 

10. Solomon built a fleet at Asiongaber on the shores of the Red 
Sea, and his servants, together with those of Hiram, sailed to Ophir, 
whence they brought him four hundred and twenty talents of gold. 
The Queen of Saba, hearing of the wisdom, and riches, and magnifi- 
cence of Solomon, came with presents of gold, and spices, and pre- 
cious stones. 



1 98 The Reign of King Solomon. \ ^.c"- 1???:^^'? 

10. The glory of Solomon's name, the splendor of his court, and 
the grandeurs of his temple and city were sounded over the whole 
world. They are recorded by the Holy Spirit in the Third Book of 
Kings. The weight of the gold that was brought to Solomon every 
year was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold ; besides that which 
the men brought him that were over the tributes, and the mer- 
chants, and they that sold by retail, and all the kings of Arabia, and 
the governors of the country. Solomon made two hundred shields 
of the purest gold ; he allowed six hundred sides of gold for the 
plates of one shield : and three hundred targets of fine gold ; three 
hundred pounds of gold covered one target: and the king put 
them in the house of the forest of Libanus. King Solomon also 
made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the finest gold. 
It had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind; and 
there were two hands on either side holding the seat, and two lions 
stood, one at each hand. Twelve little lions stood upon the six steps 
on the one side and on the other : there was no such work made in 
any kingdom. Moreover, all the vessels out of which King Solo- 
mon drank were of gold ; and all the furniture of the house of the 
\/ forest of Libanus was of most pure gold ; there was no silver, nor 
was any account made of it in the days of King Solomon ; for the 
kind's navy, once in three years, went with the navy of Hiram by 
sea to Tharsis, and brought from thence gold, and silver, and ele- 
phants' teeth, and apes, and peacocks. King Solomon exceeded all 
the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. All the earth desired 
to see Solomon's face, to hear his wisdom which God had given in 
his heart. And every one brought him presents, vessels of silver and 
of gold, garments and armor, and spices, and horses, and mules 
every year. Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen, 
and he had a thousand four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand 
horsemen ; and he bestowed them in fenced cities, and with the king 
in Jerusalem. And he made silver to be as plentiful in Jerusalem as 
stones ; and cedars to be as common as sycamores which grow in 
the plains. 

II. After the dedication of the temple, the Lord appeared to 



Ic!' \tV-l]\ \ The Reign of King Solomon. 1 99 

Solomon, as He had done at Gabaon, and spoke : I have heard 
thy prayer and thy suppUcation which thou has made before Me. I 
have sanctified this house which thou has built, to put My name 
there for ever, and My eyes and My heart shall be there always. And 
if thou wilt walk before Me, as thy father walked, in simplicity of 
heart, and in uprightness, and wilt do all that I have commanded 
chee, and wilt keep My ordinances and My judgments, I will estab- 
lish the throne of thy kingdom over Israel for ever, as I promised Da- 
vid thy father, saying : There shall not fail a man of thy race upon the 
throne of Israel. But if you and your children revolting shall turn 
away from following Me, and will not keep My commandments and 
My ceremonies, which I have set before you, but will go and wor- 
ship strange gods and adore them : I will take away Israel from the 
face of the land which I have given them ; and the temple which I 
have sanctified to My name I will cast out of My sight, and Israel 
shall be a proverb and a by-word among all peoples. And this 
house shall be made an example of; every one that shall jDass by it 
shall be astonished, and shall hiss, and say : Why hath the Lord 
done this to this land, and to this house ? And they shall answer : 
Because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought their 
fathers out of the land of Egypt, and they followed strange gods, 
and adored them, and worshipped them : therefore hath the Lord 
brought upon them all this evil. Now, notwithstanding his wisdom 
and his great name, the heart of Solomon was led astray by strange 
women. He worshipped Astarthe, the goddess of the Sidonians, 
and Moloch, the idol of the Ammonites. He built a temple for 
Chamos, the idol of Moab, and did in like manner for all his wives 
that were strangers. 

12. The Lord was angry, and raised up adversaries against Solo- 
mon, namely, Adad the Edomite, Razon, the servant of Adarezer, 
King of Soba, and Jeroboam, his own servant, a valiant and mighty 
man, chief over all his own house. The prophet Ahias the Silonite, 
clad in a new garment, met Jeroboam outside Jerusalem, and, divid- 
ing it into twelve parts, said : " Take to thee ten pieces, for thus saith 
the Lord the God of Israel : Behold I will rend the kingdom out of 



/ 



200 The Reign of King Solomon. -j J "" i?i?Z^°''? 

the hand of Solomon, and will give thee ten tribes. But one tribe 
shall remain to him for the sake of My servant David, and Jeru- 
salem the city, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel ; 
because he hath forsaken Me, and hath adored Astarthe, the god- 
dess of the Sidonians, and Chamos, the god of Moab, and Mo- 
loch, the god of the children of Ammon, and hath not walked in My 
ways to do .justice before Me, and to keep My precepts and judg- 
ments as did David his father. Yet I will not take away all the 
kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him prince all the days of 
his hfe, for David My servant's sake, Avhom I chose, who kept My 
commandments and My precepts. But I will take away the king- 
dom out of his son's hand, and will give thee ten tribes ; and to his 
son I will give one tribe, that there may remain a lamp for My 
servant David before me always in Jerusalem, the city which I have 
chosen, that My name might be there. And I will take thee, and 
thou shalt reign over all that thy soul desireth, and thou shalt be 
king over Israel. If, then, thou wilt hearken to all that I shall com- 
mand thee, and wilt walk in My ways, and do what is right before 
Me, keeping My commandments and My precepts, as David, My 
servant, did, I will be with thee, and will build thee up a faithful 
house, as I built a house for David, and I will deliver Israel to thee ; 
and I will for this afflict the seed of David, but yet not for ever." 
Jeroboam endeavored to excite commotions against Solomon when 
he had learned the revelation of the prophet, and was compelled to 
fly to Sesac, King of Egypt. 

13. After a reign of forty years, in the ninety-fourth year of his age, 
Solomon died, whether repentant or not is uncertain, but certainly 
a fearful example of the vanity and unstability of human acquire- 
ments. He was superior to all other kings in happiness, and riches, 
and wisdom, and was buried in the city of David, his father. " Solo- 
mon reigned in days of peace, and God brought all his enemies 
under him, that he might build a house in His name, and prepare a 
sanctuary for ever : O how wise wast thou in thy youth, and thou 
wast filled as a river with wisdom, and thy soul covered the earth ; 
and thou didst multiply riddles in parables, thy name went abroad to 




O. & J. SAOLIER & CO. N> Y^i 



^;^J7^j- KingdG77i of Israel. 201 

the islands far off, and thou wast beloved in thy peace. The coun- 
tries wondered at thee for thy canticles, and proverbs, and parables, 
and interpretations ; and at the name of the Lord God, whose sir- 
name is God of Israel, thou didst gather gold as copper, and didst 
multiply silver as lead. And thou didst bow thyself to women, and 
by thy body thou wast brought under subjection. Thou hast stained 
thy glory, and defiled thy seed so as to bring wrath upon thy chil- 
dren, and to have thy folly irritated, that thou shouldst make the 
kingdom to be divided, and out of Ephraim a rebellious kingdom to 
rule " (Eccl. c. xlvii.) 

QUESTIONS. 

How did Solomon treat Adonias and his fellow-conspirators? Describe 
the prosperity of the Hebrews under Solomon ? Relate the particulars of 
God's first apparition to Solomon at Gabaon? What was Solomon's first 
judgment after receiving the gift of wisdom ? How does the Scripture de- 
scribe the wisdom of Solomon? What preparations did Solomon make for 
building the temple? When was the foundation of the temple laid? De- 
scribe in your own words from the Scripture narrative the temple of Solo- 
mon? In what was brass used and in what gold in the service of the 
temple? Describe the dedication of the temple, the prayer and blessing of 
Solomon? What other buildings did Solomon construct ? Had Solomon a 
fleet? What did the Queen of Saba do? Give a description of the riches, 
and glory, and magnificence of Solomon? Give a description of God's 
second apparition to Solomon ? How did Solomon fall ? Describe the 
meeting of the prophet Ahias and Jeroboam outside Jerusalem? When did 
Solomon die? What is his character in Ecclesiasticus? 



CHAPTER XXXII. 



KINGDOM OF ISRAEL. B.C. 97 1 B.C. 722. 

N the death of Solomon, Roboam became king at 
Sichem in an assembly of all Israel. Jeroboam, who 
returned out of Egypt, wished, in the name of the peo- 
ple, the yoke of Solomon to be lightened. The king 
promised an answer on the third day. Meantime, he consulted the 
elders, who advised him to follow a course of clemency and recon- 




202 Kingdom of Israel, lexiyaa 

ciliation. He also sought the advice of young men, who urged him 
on to defiant and repressive measures. Following the advice of the 
young men, he answered on the third day : " My father made your 
yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke \ my father beat you with 
whips, but I will beat you with scorpions." Then the people, being 
dissatisfied, cried out : " What portion have we in David ? Or what 
inheritance in the son of Isai ? Go home to thy dwellings, O Israel ! 
Now, David, look to thy own house." Ten tribes rebelled and 
formed the kingdom of Israel, electing Jeroboam for their king. 
Juda and Benjamin remained faithful to Roboam. 

2. The kingdom of Israel was governed by nineteen kings, and 
lasted about two hundred and fifty years. Its history to its eUmina- 
tion by Salmanasar is one of murder, robbery, adultery, and idolatry. 
There reigned, (i) Jeroboam twenty-two years, (2) Nadab, his son, 
two years, (3) Baasa twenty-four, (4) Ela two years, (5) Zambri 
seven days, (6) Amri twelve years, (7) Achab twenty-one, (8) Ocho- 
zias two, (9) Joram twelve, (10) Jehu ten, (11) Joachaz seventeen, 
(12) Joas sixteen, (13) Jeroboam forty-one, (14) Zacharias six 
months, (15) Sellum one month, (16) Mahanem ten years, (17) 
Phaceia two years, (18) Phacee twenty, and (19) Osee nine years. 

3. After the revolt of the ten tribes, Jeroboam, fearing to allow 
them to return to Jerusalem, set up a schism in the Jewish religion. 
He established worship on the high places, took priests from the 
common people, and set up two idols, one in Bethel, the other in 
Dan. And behold there came a man of God out of Juda, by the 
word of the Lord, to Bethel, when Jeroboam was standing upon the 
altar, and burning incense. And he cried out against the altar in 
the word of the Lord, and said : O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord: 
Behold a child shall be born to the house of David, Josias by name, 
and he shall immolate upon thee the priests of the high places, who 
now burn incense upon thee, and he shall burn men's bones upon 
thee. And he gave a sign the same day, saying : This shall be the 
sign that the Lord hath spoken : Behold, the altar shall be rent, and 
the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out. And when the king 
had heard the word of the 'man of God, which he had cried out 



^^;^7ij. Kingdom of Israel. 203 

against the altar in Bethel, he stretched forth his hand from the altar, 
saying : Lay hold on him. And his hand which he stretched forth 
against him withered, and he was not able to draw it back again to 
him. The altar also was rent, and the ashes were poured out from 
the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given 
before in the word of the Lord. The prophet prayed for the wicked 
king, and the hand was restored. The same prophet, being deceived 
by a prophet in Bethel, was slain by a lion on his way homeward. 
The destruction of the house of Jeroboam and the extermination of 
Israel were foretold by the prophet Ahias. The house of Jeroboam 
was utterly destroyed by Baasa, and that of Baasa by Z^ambri, and 
Zambri burnt himself in the king's house. Amri and Thebni con- 
tended for the supremacy, and Amri prevailed. Amri was a very 
wicked prince. He was succeeded by Achab, his son, who married 
Jezabel, daughter of Ethbaal, King of the Sidonians. Achab was 
one of the most sinful and ungrateful kings that ever reigned in 
Israel. Benadad, King of the Syrians, with thirty-two kings and an 
innumerable multitude of men, came against Israel, and the Lord 
delivered them into the hands of Achab, so that they were routed 
with great slaughter. Next year, Benadad marshalled his forces, and 
invaded the territory of Israel, saying that the God of tlie Jews was 
the,Lord of the hills, but not the God of the valleys. For that reason, 
the Lord fought for Israel, whose army looked like two little flocks 
of goats, while the Syrians filled the land, and overcame the host of 
Benadad with a slaughter of one hundred and twenty-seven thousand 
men. Achab not only spared the life of Benadad, but made a league 
with him, and restored the cities which Israel had taken from Syria. 
Then a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his com- 
panion in the word of the Lord : Strike me ; but he would not strike. 
Then he said to him : Because thou wouldst not hearken to the 
word of the Lord, behold thou shalt depart from me, and a lion 
shall slay thee. And when he was gone a little from him, a lion 
found him, and slew him. Then he found another man, and said to 
him : Strike me. And he struck him, and wounded him. So the 
prophet went, and met the king in the way, and disguised himself 



^^;97j^ Kingdom of Israel. 205 

by sprinkling dust on his face and his eyes. And as the king passed 
by, he cried to the king, and said : Thy servant went out to fight 
hand to hand; and when a certain man was run away, one brought 
him to me, and said : Keep this man; and if he shall slip away, thy 
life shall be for his life, or thou shalt pay a talent of silver. And 
whilst I in the hurry turned this way and that, on a sudden he was 
not to be seen. And the King of Israel said to him : This is thy 
judgment, which thy sell hast decreed. But he forthwith wiped off 
the dust from his face, and the King of Israel knew him, that he was 
one of the prophets. And he said to him : Thus saith the Lord : 
Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man worthy of death, 
thy life shall be for his life, and thy people for his people. And the 
King of Israel returned to his house, slighting to hear, and in a fume 
came into Samaria. 

4. Achab was abominable, not only in following the idols of the 
Amorrhites, but also in oppressing the poor. Naboth had a vine- 
yard near the palace which Achab wished to buy, and Naboth 
refused to sell, because it was his inheritance. Jezabel caused 
Naboth to be falsely accused and to be stoned to death. When 
Achab was taking forcible possession of the vineyard, he was met by 
the prophet Elias the Thesbite ; and Achab said to Elias : Hast 
thou found me thy enemy ? He said : I have found thee, because 
thou art sold to do evil in the sight of the Lord. Behold, I will 
bring evil upon thee, and I will cut down thy posterity ; and I will 
make thy house like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nabat, 
and like the house of Baasa, the son of Ahias ; for what thou hast 
done to provoke me to anger, and for making Israel to sin. And of 
Jezabel also the Lord spoke, saying : The dogs shall eat Jezabel in 
the field of Jezrahel. If Achab die in the city, the dogs shall eat 
him, but if he die in the field, the birds of the air shall eat him. 
Achab did penance, and was spared. It came to pass that Josa- 
phat, King of Juda, came to Samaria in the third year after the 
defeat of the Syrians, and entered into an alHance with Achab 
to recover Ramoth-Galaad. Achab enquired of the prophets on the 
success of the expedition. His prophets, four hundred in number. 



2o6 Kingdom of Israel, {b:c."7m 

answered : Go up, the Lord shall deliver Ramoth-Galaad into thy 
hand. Sedecias made himself horns of iron, and said : With these 
shalt thou push Syria till thou destroy it. But Micheas, the "son of 
Jemla, was called by Josaphat, and answered : " I saw all Israel 
scattered upon the hills like sheep that have no shepherd, and the 
Lord said : These have no master : let every man of them return to 
his house in peace. And he added and said : Hear thou therefore 
the word of the Lord : I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all 
the army of heaven standing by Him on the right hand and on the 
left; and the Lord said : Who shall deceive Achab, King of Israel, 
that he may go up, and fall at Ramoth-Galaad ? And one spoke 
words of this manner, and another otherwise. And there came forth 
a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said : I will deceive him. 
And the Lord said : By what means ? And he said : I will go 
forth, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And 
the Lord said : Thou shalt deceive him, and shalt prevail : go forth 
and do so. Now, therefore, behold the Lord hath given a lying 
spirit in the mouth of all thy prophets that are here, and the Lord 
hath spoken evil against thee." Achab having changed dress, and 
Josaphat having put on his own armor, went to battle. Achab was 
slain, and the words of the prophets were fulfilled in the manner of 
his death. 

5. In the reign of Achab lived the great prophet Elias the Thes- 
bite. Of him are recorded the following eight miracles : First, he 
said to Achab : As the Lord liveth the God of Israel, in whose sight 
I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to 
the words of my mouth; and there was neither dew nor rain for 
three years and a half. Secondly, God said to him : Get thee hence, 
and go towards the east, and hide thyself by the torrent of Carith, 
which is over against the Jordan, and there thou shalt drink of the 
torrent; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. So 
he went, and did according to the word of the Lord; and going, he 
■ dwelt by the torrent Carith, which is over against the Jordan. The 
ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and 
flesh in the evening, and he drank of the torrent. Thirdly, when he 



l^^:%l\ Kingdom of Israel, ' 'foy 

asked the widow of Sarephta for bread and water, she answered : 
As the Lord thy God liveth, I have no bread, but only a handful of 
meal in a pot, and a little oil in a cruse; behold I am gathering two 
sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we 
may eat it, and die. And Elias said to her : Fear not, but go and 
do as thou hast said ; but first make for me of the same meal a little 
hearth-cake, and bring it to me ; and after make for thyself and thy 
son. For thus saith the Lord the God of Israel : The pot of meal 
shall not waste, nor the cruse of oil be diminished, until the day 
wherein the Lord will give rain upon the face of the earth. She 
went and did according to the word of Elias; and he ate, and she, 
and her house ; and from that day the pot of meal wasted not, and 
the cruse of oil was not diminished, according to the word of the 
Lord which He spoke in the hand of Elias. Fourthly, while he was 
in Sarephta, the widow's son fell sick, and the sickness was very 
grievous, so that there was no breath left in him ; and she said to 
Elias : What have I to do with thee, thou man of God 7 Art thou 
come to me that my iniquities should be remembered, and that thou 
shouldst kill my son ? Elias said to her : Give me thy son. And 
he took him out of her bosom, and carried him into the upper 
chamber where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed, and he 
cried to the Lord, and said ; O Lord my God, hast thou afflicted, also 
the widow with whom I am after a sort maintained, so as to kill her 
son ? And he stretched and measured himself upon the child three 
times, and cried to the Lord, and said ; O Lord my God, let the soul 
of this child, I beseech thee, return into his body. The Lord heard 
the voice of Elias, and the soul of the child returned into him, and 
he revived. Fifthly, at the prayer of Elias, fire came from heaven 
and consumed his holocaust and altar. Sixthly, Elias said to Achab : 
Go lip, eat, and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. 
Achab went up to eat and drink; and Elias went up to the top of 
Carmel, and, casting himself down upon the earth, put his face 
between his knees; and he said to his servant: Go up, and look 
toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said : There is 
nothing. And again he said to him: Return seven times. At the 



2o8 Kingdom of Israel, jexiS 

seventh time, behold a httle cloud arose out of the sea like a man's 
foot. And he said : Go up and say to Achab : Prepare thy chariot 
and go down, lest the rain prevent thee. And while he turned him- 
self this way and that way, behold the heavens grew dark with 
clouds and wind, and there fell a great rain. Seventhly, when 
Elias was fleeing from Jezabel, and, having journeyed one day into 
the desert, sat under a juniper-tree, he requested for his soul that he 
might die, and said : It is enough for me. Lord, take away my soul, 
for I am no better than my fathers. He cast himself down, and slept 
in the shadow of the juniper-tree ; and behold an angel of the Lord 
touched him, and said to him : Arise, and eat. He looked, and be- 
hold there was at his head a hearth-cake and a vessel of water ; and 
he ate and drank, and he fell asleep again. The angel of the Lord 
came again the second time and touched him, and said to him : 
Arise, eat ; for thou hast yet a great way to go. And he arose, and 
ate, and drank, and walked in the strength of that food forty days 
and forty nights unto tlie mount of God, Horeb. Eighthly, while 
Elias was in a cave of Mount Horeb, the Lord came and said : 
What dost thou here, Elias ? He answered : With zeal have I been 
zealous for the Lord God of hosts, for the children of Israel have 
forsaken Thy covenant ; they have thrown down Thy altars, they have 
slain Thy prophets with the sword, and I alone am left, and they seek 
my life to take it awav. And He said to him : Go forth, and stand upon 
the mount before the Lord : and behold the Lord passeth, and a great 
and strong wind before the Lord overthrowing the mountains, and 
breaking the rocks in pieces; but the Lord was not in the wind; and 
after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earth- 
quake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the 
fire ; and after the fire a whistling of a gentle air. When Elias 
heard it, he covered his face with his mantle, and coming 
forth stood in the entering in of the cave, and behold a 
voice unto him saying : What dost thou here, Elias ? He was 
then commissioned to anoint Hazael to be King of Syria, Jehu to be 
King of Israel, and Eliseus to be prophet in his own room. Ninthly, 
when Ochozias, son of Achab, sent messengers to consult Beelzebub, 



l[c.%l\ Kmgdom of Israel, 209 

the god of Accaron, they were met by Elias, and sent back to the 
king with this message : Is it because there was no God in Israel 
that thou sendest to Beelzebub, the god of Accaron ? Therefore, 
thou shall not come down from the bed on which thou art gone up, 
but thou shalt surely die. And he said to them : What manner of 
man was he who met you and spoke these words ? But they said : 
A hairy man, with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said : 
It is Elias the Thesbite. And he sent to him a captain of fifty, and 
the fifty men that were under him. He went up to him, and, as he 
was sitting on the top of a hill, said to him : Man of God, the king 
hath commanded that thou come down. And Elias, answering, 
said to the captain of fifty : If I be a man of God, let fire come 
down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there 
came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and the fifty that 
were with him. And again he sent to him another captain of fifty 
men, and his fifty with him. And he said to him : Man of God, 
thus saith the king: Make haste and come down. Elias, answering, 
said : If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and 
consume thee and thy fifty. And fire came down from heaven, and 
consumed him and his fifty. Again he sent a third captain of 
fifty men, and the fifty that were with him. EHas spared the cap- 
tain and his men, and went down. According to the word of Elias, 
Ochozias died. Tenthly, EHas divided the waters of the Jordan with 
his mantle, so that he and Eliseus passed over on dry ground ; and, 
when they were gone over, Elias said to Eliseus : Ask what thou 
wilt have me to do for thee before I be taken away from thee. 
And Eliseus said : I beseech thee that in me may be thy double 
spirit. And he answered : Thou hast asked a hard thing ; never- 
theless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, thou shalt have 
what thou hast asked ; but if thou see me not, thou shalt not have 
it. And as they went on, walking and talking together, behold a 
fiery chariot and fiery horses parted them both asunder: and Elias 
went up by a whirlwind into heaven. There he and Enoch are 
kept to await the coming of Antichrist at the end of the 
world. 



2IO Kmgdoin of Israel. 



J.C. 971 
J.C. 722 



6. The mantle of Elias fell on Eliseus. He, too, was a mighty 
prophet in Israel. On giving the commission to EHas to anoint 
Eliseus, the Lord said that whoever should be spared by the sword 
of Hazael would be destroyed by the sword of Jehu, and whoever 
would be spared by the sword of Jehu was to be destroyed by the 
sword of Eliseus. God had in Israel seven thousand men. who had 
not bowed their knee to Baal. Of the miracles which were worked 
by EHseus, I mention the following: First, he divided the waters of 
the Jordan with the mantle of Elias. Secondly, he healed the waters 
of Jericho, and removed death and barrenness from them. Thirdly, 
as he was going to Bethel, he caused two bears to come from the 
woods and devour bad boys. It is thus told in the Bible : He went 
up from thence to Bethel ; and as he was going up by the way, little 
boys came out of the- city and mocked him, saying ; Go up, thou 
bald-head; go up, thou bald-head. And looking back, he saw 
them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord; and there came 
forth two bears out of the forest, and tore of them two-and-forty 
boys. Fourthly, he supplied the kings of Juda, Israel, andEdom 
with water for their thirsting armies in the desert. Fifthly, he multi- 
plied oil for the prophet's widow. It is told thus : The widow said 
to him : Thy servant my husband is dead, and thou knowest that 
thy servant was one that feared the Lord, and behold the creditor 
is come to take away my two sons to serve him. And Eliseus said 
to her: What wilt thou have me do for thee? Tell me, what hast 
thou in thy house ? i\.nd she answered : I thy handmaid have 
nothing in my house but a little oil to anoint me. And he said to 
her : Go, borrow of all thy neighbors empty vessels not a few. And 
go in, and shut thy door, when thou art within, with thy sons ; and 
pour out thereof into all those vessels; and when they are full, take 
them away. So the woman went, and shut the door upon her, and 
upon her sons ; they brought her the vessels, and she poured in. 
And when the vessels were full, she said to her son : Bring me yet 
a vessel. He answered : I have no more. And the oil stood. 
She came, and told the man of God. He said : Go, sell the oil, and 
pay thy creditor ; and thou and thy sons live of the rest. Sixthly, 



I'l' '^^11 \ Kingdom of Isi^aeL 211 

a great woman, a Sunamitess, that was barren, by the prophet's 
prayer conceived and bore a son of her husband. After a time the 
son died, and she laid it on his bed. EHseus prayed, and lay upon 
the dead child ; and he put his mouth upon the child's mouth, and 
his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands, and he bowed 
himself upon him, and the child's flesh grew warm. Then he 
returned and walked in the house, once to and fro; and he 
went up, and lay upon him ; and the child gaped seven 
times, and opened his eyes. He called Giezi, and said to him : 
Call this Sunamitess. She, being called, went in to him. He 
said : Take up thy son. She came and fell at his feet, and wor- 
shipped upon the ground, and took up her son, and went out. 
Seventhly, Eliseus was at Galgal, and there was a famine in the land. 
Then he said : Set on the great pot, and boil pottage for the sons of the 
prophets. And one went out into the field to gather wild herbs, and 
he found something like a wild vine, and gathered of it wild gourds of 
the field, and filled his mantle, and coming back he shred them into 
the pot of pottage ; for he knew not what it was. And they poured 
it out for their companions to eat; and when they had tasted of the 
pottage, they cried out, saying : Death is in the pot, O man of God. 
And they could not eat thereof. But he said : Bring some meal. 
And when they had brought it, he cast it into the pot, and said : 
Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was. now no 
bitterness in the pot. Eighthly, while Eliseus was at Galgal, a cer- 
tain man came from Baalsalisa bringing to the man of God bread 
of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and new corn in his scrip. 
And he said : Give to the people, that they may eat. And his 
servant answered him : How much is this, that I should set it before 
a hundred men ? He said again : Give to the people, that they 
may eat ; for thus saith the Lord : They shall eat, and there shall be 
left. So he set it before them ; and they ate, and there was left, 
according to the word of the Lord. Ninthly, he cured Naaman of 
leprosy — a most decided example of the intrinsic efficacy of God's 
will. Naaman, general of the army of the King of Syria, was a 
great man with his master, and honorable ; for by him the Loxd 



212 Kingdom of Israel, \ l^^_ f^l 

gave deliverance to Syria ; and lie was a valiant man and rich, but 
a leper. Now, there had gone out robbers from Syria, and had led 
away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid, and she waited 
upon Naaman's wife, and she said to her mistress : I wish my master 
had been with the prophet that is in Samaria, he would certainly 
have healed him of the leprosy which he hath. Then Naaman 
went in to his lord, and told him, saying : Thus and thus saith the 
girl that came from the land of Israel. The King of Syria said to 
him: Go, and I will send a letter to the King of Israel; and he 
departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand 
pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment, and .brought the letter 
to the King of Israel, in these words : When thou shalt receive this 
letter, know that I have sent to thee Naaman my servant, that thou 
mayest heal him of his leprosy. When the King of Israel had read 
the letter he rent his garments, and said : Am I God, to be able to 
kill and give life, that this man hath sent to me to heal a man of his 
leprosy ? Mark, and see how he seeketh occasions against me. 
When Ehseus the man of God had heard this, to wit, that the King 
of Israel had rent his garments, he sent to him, saying: Why hast 
thou rent thy garments ? Let him come to me, and let him know that 
there is a prophet in Israel. So Naaman came with his horses and 
chariots, and stood at the door of the house of EHseus. And EHseus 
sent a messenger to him, saying : Go, and wash seven times in the 
Jordan, and thy flesh shall recover health, and thou shalt be clean. 
Naaman was angry, and went away, saying: I thought he would 
have come out to me, and standing would have invoked the name 
of the Lord his God, and touched with his hand the place of the 
leprosy, and healed me. Are not the Abana and the Pharphar, 
rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel, that I may 
wash in them, and be made clean ? So as he turned and was going 
away with indignation, his servants came to him, and said to him : 
Father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, surely thou 
shouldst hav^ done it : how much rather what he now hath said to 
thee : Wash, and thou shalt be clean ? Then he went down, and 
washed in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man 



I'll f^l \ Kingdo77i of Israel, 2 1 3 

of God, and his flesh was restored Uke the flesh of a Uttle child, and 
he was made clean. And returning to the man of God with all his 
train, he came and stood before him, and said : In truth I know 
there is no other God in all the earth, but only in Israel. I beseech 
thee therefore take a blessing of thy servant. Tenthly, he made 
an axe that was borrowed by a prophet swim. Eleventhly, 
he revealed the designs of the Syrian king, and showed 
a heavenly protecting army. Twelfthly, he struck the Syrians blind, 
and led them into the midst of Samaria, where he entertained them 
hospitably. In the thirteenth place, when Samaria was reduced to 
the utmost straits in a siege, he foretold the precise time, place, and 
price of an abundance o^ food. In the fourteenth place, he raised 
the siege of Samaria by the Syrians. In the fifteenth place, he fore- 
told a seven years* famine to the woman whose son he raised to life. 
The sixteenth miracle was the foretelling of Hazael's and Benadad's 
destinies. Benadad was sick, and said to Hazael : Take with thee 
presents, and go to meet the man of God, and consult the Lord by 
him, saying : Can I recover of this my illness ? And Hazael went 
to meet him, taking with him presents and all the good things of 
Damascus, the burdens of forty camels. And when he stood before 
him, he said : Thy son Benadad, the King of Syria, hath sent me to 
thee, saying: Can I recover of this my illness.? EHseus said to 
him : Go tell him, " Thou shalt recover," but the Lord hath showed 
me that he shall surely die. And he stood with him, and was 
troubled so far as to blush, and the man of God wept. Hazael 
said to him : Why doth my lord weep ? And he said : Because I 
know the evil that thou wilt do to the children of Israel. Their 
strong cities thou wilt burn with fire, and their young men thou wilt 
kill with the sword, and thou wilt dash their children, and rip 
up their women with child. Hazael said : But what am I thy 
servant a dog, that I should do this great thing 1 Eliseus said : 
The Lord hath showed me that thou shalt be King of Syria. And 
when he was departed from Eliseus, he came to his master, who 
said to him : What said Eliseus to thee ? And he answered : He 
told me : Thou shalt recover. And on the next day, he took 



2 14 Kingdom of Israel. 



B.C. 971 
B.C. 7^2 



a blanket, and poured water on it, and sj^read it upon his face, and 
he died, and Hazael reigned in his stead. After an eventful life in 
the annals of Israel, Eliseus was sick of the illness whereof he died. 
Joas, King of Israel, went down to him, and wept before him, and 
said : O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel and the guider 
thereof. Eliseus said to him : Bring a bow and arrows. And 
when he had brought him a bow and arrows, he said to the King of 
Israel: Put thy hand upon the bow. And when he had put his 
hand, Eliseus put his hands over the king's hands, and said : Open 
the window to the east. And when he had opened it, Ehseus said : 
Shoot an arrow. And he shot. And Eliseus said : The arrow 
of the Lord's deliverance, and the arrovv^ of the deliverance from 
Syria; and thou shalt strike the Syrians in Aphec till thou consume 
them. And he said : Take the arrows. And when he had taken 
them, he said to him : Strike with an arrow upon the ground. And 
he struck three times, and stood still, and the man of God was angry 
with him, and said : If thou hadst smitten five or six or seven times, 
thou hadst smitten Syria even to utter destruction, but now three 
times shalt thou smite it. And Eliseus died, and they buried him. 

7. Such were the prophets whom God sent to a wicked people, a 
faithless nation, and a forsaken race ! Kings and people, amid the 
most signal punishments and most awful warnings, vied with each 
other in forgetting the law of Moses and the God of Abraham, 
Isaac, and Jacob. In the ninth year of Osee, the last in the 
wretched line of the kings of Israel, Samaria was taken by Salmana- 
sar, and five-sixths of God's chosen nation transported into a foreign 
land. Ten tribes of the Hebrews were blotted out from the human 
race, lik^ the lost records, to which the Bible refers when it says: 
" And the rest of the acts of the king, and all that he did, are they 
not written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of 
Israel ? " Behold the love and anger of God ! 

QUESTIONS. 

What was the origin of the kingdom of Israel ? What was the character 
of Israel ? Who and how many were its kings ? How long did each reign ? 



l.c. %-^ I- T/ie Kings of Juda. 215 

Give the history- of Jeroboam ? Who were his successors to Achab? Give 
the history of Achab? State the ten miracles of the great prophet, Elias 
the Thesbite ? State the sixteen miracles of his successor, Eliseus? Give 
a description of the death of Eliseus? What lesson is to be drawn from 
such prophets sent to such kings and people? 




CHAPTER XXXIII. 

THE KINGS OF JUDA. B.C. 971 B.C. 606 AND 588. 

HEN Roboam had seen the revolt of Israel, and had 
learned that Aduram, \Yhile collecting taxes, was stoned, 
he raised an army of one hundred and eighty thousand 
men to wage war against Jeroboam. Hearkening to the 
word of God which came to the prophet Semeias, that the rebellion 
was from God on account of Solomon's snis, Roboam desisted from 
his undertaking, and reigned well for three years. During that time 
he fortified his cities, gathered provisions, and observed the Law. 
Afterwards, forgetting the words of the prophet, and falling into all 
kinds of wickedness, he kept up continual wars with Jeroboam. To 
punish him and his people, God called Sesac out of Egypt with 
twelve hundred chariots, sixty thousand horsemen, and an innume- 
rable army. Sesac took the strongest cities in Juda, and came to 
Jerusalem. Semeias the prophet came to Roboam and to the 
princes of Juda that were gathered together in Jerusalem fleeing from 
Sesac, and said to them : Thus saith the Lord : You have left Me, 
and I have left you in the hand of Sesac. And the princes of Israel 
and the king, being in a consternation, said : The Lord is just. And 
when the Lord saw that they were humbled, the word of the Lord 
came to Semeias, saying : Because they are humbled, I will not 
destroy them, and I will give them a little help, and My wTath shall 
not fall upon Jerusalem by the hand of Sesac. But yet they shall 
serve him, that they may know the difference between My service 
and the service of a kingdom of the earth. So Sesac, King of 
Egypt, departed from Jerusalem, taking away the treasures of the 



2 1 6 The Kings of Juda, \ ^;^; fgs'^^' 

house of the Lord and of the king's house, and he took all with him, 
and the golden shields that Solomon had made. Roboam lived fifty- 
eight years, and reigned seventeen. He was succeeded by his son, 
Abia, who was, like his father, a lustful prince. During Abia's reign, a 
great battle was fought between Juda and Israel. Jeroboam had under 
him eight hundred thousand men, Abia four hundred thousand. The 
hosts were arrayed against each other near Mount Semeron. Stand- 
ing on the hill, Abia spoke : Hear me, O Jeroboam, and all Israel. 
Do you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave to David the 
kingdom over Israel for ever, to him and to his sons, by a covenant 
of salt ? And Jeroboam, the son of Nabat, the servant of Solomon, 
the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord. And there 
were gathered to him vain men, and children of Belial, and they 
prevailed against Roboam, the son of Solomon ; for Roboam was 
unexperienced, and of a fearful heart, and could not resist them. 
And now you say that you are able to withstand the kingdom of the 
Lord, which He possesseth by the sons of David, and you have a 
great multitude of people, and golden calves, which Jeroboam hath 
made you for gods. And you have cast out the priests of the Lord, 
the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and you have made you priests 
like all the nations of the earth ; whosoever cometh and consecrateth 
his hand with a bullock of the herd and with seven rams, is made a 
priest of them that are no gods. But the Lord is our God, whom 
we forsake not, and the priests who minister to the Lord are of the 
sons of Aaron, and the Levites are in their order. And they offer 
holocausts to the Lord every day, morning and evening, and incense 
made according to the ordinance of the Law, and the loaves are set 
forth on a most clean table, and there is with us the golden candle- 
stick, and the lamps thereof, to be hghted always in the evening, for 
we keep the precepts of the Lord our God, whom you have forsaken. 
Therefore God is the leader in our army, and his priests, who sound 
with trumpets, and their sound is against you. O children of Israel, 
fight not against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for it is not good 
for you. The Lord sent a panic upon the army of Jeroboam, and it 
was defeated with a loss of five hundred thousand men. Jeroboam 



B.c: lll'^''^ \ ^^^^ Ki7igs of Juda. 2 1 7 

lost the cities of Bethel, Jesana, and Ephron, with their dependen- 
cies. 

2. Abia was succeeded by his son Asa, a holy king, who reigned 
forty-one years. During the first ten years of Asa's reign, Juda was 
at peace, and its cities were strengthened. Asa did that which was 
good and pleasing in the sight of his God, and he destroyed the 
altars of foreign worship, and the high places, and broke the statues, 
and cut down the groves ; he commanded Juda to seek the Lord, the 
God of their fathers, and to do the Law, and all the commandments; 
and he took away out of all the cities of Juda the altars and 
temples. He destroyed an idol of Priapus which his mother, Maacha, 
had placed in a grove, and deposed her from royal authority. Asa 
defeated Zara the Ethiopian, who came against Juda with three hun- 
dred chariots and a million of men. Having set his army in array 
for battle in the vale of Sephata, he spoke thus : Lord, there is no 
difference with Thee whether thou help with few or with many : help 
us, O Lord our God, for with confidence in Thee and Thy name we 
are come against this multitude. O Lord, Thou art our God, let 
not man prevail against Thee. The Lord sent terror into the camp 
of the Ethiopians, and they fled and were pursued to utter destruc- 
tion as far as Gerara. Asa took an incalculable amount of booty, 
and enlarged his dominions. The Lord sent the prophet Azarias to 
meet him as he returned, saying : Hear ye me, Asa and all Juda and 
Benjamin, the Lord is with you, because you have been with Him. 
If you seek Him, you shall find ; but if you forsake Him, He will for- 
sake you. Many days shall pass in Israel without the true God, and 
without a priest a teacher, and without the Law. And when in their 
distress they shall return to the Lord the God of Israel, and shall 
seek him, they shall find him. At that time there shall be no peace 
to him that goeth out and cometh in, but terrors on every side among 
all the inhabitants of the earth. For nation shall fight against 
nation, and city against city, for the Lord will trouble them with all 
distress. Do you, therefore, take courage, and let not thy hands be 
weakened, for there shall be a reward for your work. Asa took 
courage, and became more zealous for the Law and the Lord. In 



2 1 8 The Kings of Juda. \ ^•^; ^7^-^ 

the fifteenth year of his reign, he sacrificed of the spoils at Jerusalem 
seven hundred oxen and seven thousand rams. Asa sinned in three 
things. When he was threatened by Baasa, King of Israel, he made 
a league with Benadad, King of Damascus, instead of seeking help 
from the Lord. He cast the prophet Hanani into prison when sent 
with this message rebuking him for his want of faith : Because thou 
hast had confidence in the King of Syria, and not in the Lord thy 
God, therefore hath the army of the King of Syria escaped out of thy 
hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans much more nume- 
rous in chariots, and horsemen, and an exceeding great multitude ; 
yet, because thou trustedst in the Lord, He dehvered them into thy 
hand? For the eyes of the Lord behold all the earth, and give 
strength to those who with a perfect heart trust in Him. Wherefore 
thou has done foolishly, and for this cause from this time wars shall 
arise against thee. When Ire was worried with wars, and sick with 
disease in his old age, he placed his rehance in the power of medi- 
cine, to the injury of God's goodness. Asa died in the one and 
fortieth year of his reign. And they buried him in his own sepulchre, 
which he had made for himself in the city of David ; and they laid 
him on his bed full of spices and odoriferous ointments which were 
made by the art of the perfumers, and they burnt them over him 
with very great pomp. Asa was succeeded by his son Josaphat, a 
good king, who walked in the ways of his father. He exterminated 
idolatry, and set his kingdom in order according to the law of Moses. 
He erred in joining Achab by aflinity; for Joram his son took to 
wife Athalia, the daughter of the wicked Achab. On his return 
from the disastrous expedition of Achab against Ramoth-Galaad, he 
was met by Jehu, the son of Hanani, who said : Thou helpest the 
ungodly, and thou art joined in friendship with them that hate the 
Lord, and therefore thou didst deserve indeed the wrath of the Lord. 
But good works are found in thee, because thou hast taken away 
the groves out of the land of Juda, and hast prepared thy heart to 
seek the Lord the God of thy fathers. Afterwards, God granted 
Josaphat a signal triumph over a confederacy of Moab, Ammon, 
and the Amorrhites. When he heard of the coalition, he betook 



I.e. 588"^°^ [ ^/^^ J^zn£-s of Juda. 2 1 9 

himself to prayer, and ordered a fast amongst the people. Having 
gathered all Juda, and their little ones, and their wives, and their 
children to Jerusalem, to the house of the Lord, he stood in the 
midst of the assembly before the new court, and said : O Lord God 
of our fathers, thou art God in heaven, and rulest over all the king- 
doms of nations, in Thy hand is strength and power, and no one can 
resist Thee. Didst not Thou our God kill all the inhabitants of this 
land before the people of Israel, and gavest it to the seed of iVbra-' 
ham Thy friend for ever ? And they dwelt in it, and built in it a 
sanctuary to Thy name, saying : If evils fall upon us, the sword of 
judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand in Thy presence be- 
fore this house, in which Thy name is called upon, and we will cry to 
Thee in our afflictions, and Thou wilt hear and save us. And now be- 
hold the children of Ammon, and of Moab, and Mount Seir, through 
whose lands Thou didst not allow Israel to pass when they came out 
of Egypt, but they turned aside from them, and slew them not, do 
the contrary, and endeavor to cast us out of the possession which 
Thou hast delivered to us. O our God, wilt not Thou, then, judge 
them ? As for us, we have not strength enough to be able to resist 
this multitude which cometh violently upon us. But as we know 
not what to do, we can only turn our eyes to Thee. Then Jahaziel 
prophesied victory. Next day, Josaphat and his people went out 
against their confederated enemies, singing men going before the 
army and shouting with one voice: Give glory to the Lord, for His 
mercy endureth for ever. Ammon and Moab fought against Mount 
Seir, and then amongst themselves, so that the army of Josaphat 
found the whole country covered with dead bodies, and, having 
gathered so much booty as they could carry, returned to Jerusalem, 
rejoicing and praising the Lord. Josaphat built a fleet at Asionga- 
ber to go to Ophir for gold, but it was destroyed before sailing be- 
cause he took Ochozias, the wicked King of Juda, into partnership, 
as the prophet Eliezer declared : Because thou hast made a league 
with Ochozias, the Lord hath destroyed thy works, and the ships 
are broken, and they could not go to Tharsis. Josaphat was very 
rich and glorious, and had an army of eleven hundred and sixty 



2 20 The Kings of Juda. \ ^ ^; ^g"^ 

thousand men. He began to reign at thirty-five, and, after reigning 
twenty^five years, died in the fiftieth year of his age. He was one 
of the best kings that ever reigned over the Hebrews. 

3. Josaphat was succeeded by his son Joram, whose heart was led 
away to all the wickedness of Achab by his wicked wife Athalia, 
the daughter of Achab and Jezabel. Notwithstanding a letter 
received from Elias, whether written before or after his ascent into 
heaven, which was nine years before, Joram continued to provoke 
the Lord by all kinds of abominations. This is the letter : Thus saith 
the Lord, the God of David thy father : " Because thou hast not 
walked in the ways of Josaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa, 
King of Juda, but hast walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, 
and hast made Juda and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit for- 
nication, imitating the fornication of the house of Achab ; moreover, 
also, thou hast killed thy brethren, . the house of thy father, better 
men than thyself: behold the Lord will strike thee with a great 
plague, with all thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all 
thy substance ; and thou shalt be sick of a very grievous disease of 
thy bowels, till thy vital parts come out by little and litde every 
day." He is said to have reigned eight years, part of which must 
have been with his father, and after bringing untold calamities on 
Juda, and dying according to the word of Elias, was succeeded by 
Ochozias, his youngest son, who reigned one year, and was slain by 
Achab. . Athalia destroyed the house of Joram, except Joas, the son 
of Ochozias, whom Josabeth, his aunt, the sister of Ochozias, the wife 
of Joiada the high-priest, hid. After six years, Joiada conspired against 
AthaUa's usurpation, and, having put her to death, made Joas king. 
Joas was seven years old when he t>egan to reign, and reigned forty 
years. During the life of Joiada, he governed wisely, undid the 
wicked works of Athalia, and, having repaired the temple, revived 
the observance of the Law. After the death of Joiada, he was led 
by the princes of Juda to worship groves and idols. Zacharias, the 
son of Joiada, rebuked him for causing the Lord to forsake the 
people, and was stoned to death by his orders. To punish the sins 
of Joas and to avenge the murder of Zacharias, the Lord delivered 



B-.c.fss'^f The Kings of Juda. 221 

Juda with its multitudes into the hands of a few Syrians. Joas saw 
his city, palace, and temple plundered, and was slain in his bed by 
Zabad and Jozabad. He was buried in the city of David, but not 
in the sepulchres of the kings. Amasias, his son, twenty-five years 
old, succeeded him and reigned twenty-nine years. He began to 
reign well. He put the murderers of his father to death, but, ac- 
cording to the law of Moses, spared their children. He led three 
hundred thousand men against Seir, and in the Vale of Salt Pits 
overthrew ten thousand of the enemy, and precipitated ten thousand 
more from a steep rock. He then set up the gods of the Edomites, 
and insulted the prophet of the God of Israel. For this cause he 
was delivered in battle into the hands of Joas, King of Israel, who 
broke down four hundred cubits of the walls of Jerusalem, and took 
away the treasures of the temple and palace to Samaria. Amasias, 
to escape from a conspiracy, fled to Lachis, where he was slain, and 
whence he was brought and buried in the city of David. Ozias, his, 
son, was elected king at the age of sixteen, and reigned fifty-two 
years. He gained great glory in war, accumulated great wealth, 
built new cities, founded Jewish colonies, and fortified the citadels 
of Juda. He did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and 
had under him an army of three hundred and seven thousand five 
hundred ; " but when he was made strong, his heart Avas lifted up to 
his destruction, and he neglected the Lord his God; and going into the 
temple of the Lord, he had a mind to burn incense upon the altar of 
incense. And immediately Azarias the priest going in after him, and 
with him fourscore priests of the Lord, most vahant men, withstood the 
king, and said : It doth not belong to thee, Ozias, to burn incense to 
the Lord, but to the priests, that is, the sons of Aaron, who are con- 
secrated for this ministry; go out of the sanctuary, do not despise ; 
for this thing shall not be accounted to thy glory by the Lord God. 
And Ozias was angry, and, holding in his hand the censer to burn 
incense, threatened the priests. And presently there arose a leprosy 
in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord at the 
altar of incense. And Azarias the high-priest and all the rest of the 
priests looked upon him, and saw the leprosy in his forehead, and 



2 2 2 . The Kings of Juda, \ J;^; fss"^^ 

they made haste to thrust him out. Yea, himself also being fright- 
ened, hastened to go out, because he had quickly felt the stroke of 
the Lord. And Ozias the king was a leper unto the day of his death, 
and he 4 welt in a house apart, being full of the leprosy, for which he 
had been cast out of the house of the Lord." He was buried in the 
field of the royal sepulchres because he was a leper. He was suc- 
ceeded by his son Joatham, who did all that was right in the eyes 
of the Lord. He adorned Jerusalem, fortified his cides, overcame 
the Ammonites, and, after sixteen years of a godly reign, slept with 
his fathers David, Asa, and Josaphat. 

4. His successor was the wicked Achaz, a bad son of a good 
father. Achaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he 
reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem ; he did not that which was right 
in the sight of the Lord as David his father had done, but walked 
in the ways of the kings of Israel; moreover, also, he cast statues for 
Baalim. It was he that burnt incense in the Valley of Benennom, 
and consecrated his sons in the fire according to the manner of the 
nations which the Lord slew at the coming of the children of Israel. 
He sacrificed, also, and burnt incense in the high places, and on the 
hills, and under every green tree. For these crimes he was delivered 
up to the King of Syria in batde, and carried captive to Damascus. 
Phacee, the son of Romelia, defeated Juda with a loss of one hun- 
dred and twenty thousand, and took besides two hundred thousand 
women, boys, and girls as captives to Samaria. At the instigation 
of the prophet Oded, the captives were treated kindly and sent to 
Jericho. Achaz v/as also beaten by the Edomites. The Philistines, 
too, spread themselves over the country, and conquered his cities. 
Achaz sought help from the King of the Assyrians, but the Lord led 
against him Theglathphalasar, who afflicted and plundered him 
without resistance. Achaz stripped the house of the Lord, and the 
house of the kings, and of the princes, and gave gifts to the King of 
the Assyrians, and yet it availed him nothing. Moreover, also, in 
the time of his distress he increased his contempt against the Lord, 
King Achaz himself by himself, sacrificed victims to the gods of 
Damascus that struck him, and he said : The gods of the kings of 



Tc. %s'°' \ The Kings of Juda, 2 2 3 

Syria help them, and I will appease them with victims, and they 
will help me; whereas, on the contrary, they were the ruin of him 
and of all Israel. Then Achaz having taken away all the vessels of 
the house of God, and broken them, shut up the doors of the temple 
of God, and made himself altars in all the corners of Jerusalem. And 
in all the cities of Juda he built altars to burn frankincense, and he 
provoked the Lord the God of his fathers to wrath. Achaz was 
buried in Jerusalem, for they received him not into the sepulchres of 
the kings of Israel. He was one of the very worst kings that reigned 
over the Jews. 

5. To Achaz succeeded Ezechias, a prince among the princes of 
Israel. He began to reign in the twenty-fifth year of his age. His 
first care was to purify the temple and cast the abominations of 
Jerusalem into Cedron. He restored the worship of the God of 
Israel with the zeal and faithfulness of King David. The most 
memorable event in his reign is the destruction of the army of Sen- 
nacherib. Under him the Assyrians invaded Juda. Sennacherib sent 
to the saintly Ezechias the following letter, which was spread before 
the Lord in the temple : Let not thy God deceive thee in whom 
thou trustest. And do not say : Jerusalem shall not be delivered 
into the hand of the King of the Assyrians. Behold thou hast 
heard what the kings of the Assyrians have done to all countries — 
how they have laid them waste — and canst thou alone be delivered ? 
Have the gods of the nations delivered any of them whom my 
fathers have destroyed, to wit, Gozan, and Haran, and Reseph, and 
the children of Eden, that were in Thelassar ? Where is the King 
of Emath, and the King of Arphad, and the King of the city of 
Sepharvaim, of Ana, and of Ava ? Ezechias, a pious prince, prayed : 
O Lord God of Israel, who sittest upon the cherubim, Thou alone 
art the God of all the kings of the earth ; Thou madest heaven and 
earth; incline Thy ear and hear; open, O Lord! Thy eyes, and 
see, and hear all the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent to up- 
braid unto us the living God. Of a truth, O Lord ! the kings of 
the Assyrians have destroyed nations, and the lands of them all. 
And they have cast their gods into the fire ; for they were not gods, 



2 24 The Kings cf Juda, \ ^;^: '^^^^^^ 

but the works of men's hands of wood and stone, and they destroy- 
ed them. Now, therefore, O Lord our God ! save us from his hand, 
that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou art the Lord, 
the only .God. The Lord answered through Isaias, saying ! The 
virgin, the daughter of Sion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee 
to scorn ; the daughter of Jerusalem hath wagged her head behind 
thy back. Whom hast thou reproached, ' and whom hast thou 
blasphemed ? Against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and 
lifted up thy eyes on high ? against the holy one of Israel. By the 
hand of thy servants thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said : 
With the multitude of my chariots, I have gone up to the height of 
the mountains, to the top of Libanus, and have cut down its tall 
cedars and its choice fir-trees. And I have entered into the 
furthest parts thereof, and the forest of its Carmel I have cut 
down. And I have drunk strange waters, and I have dried up with 
the soles of my feet all the shut-up waters. Hast thou not heard 
what I have done from the beginning ? From the days of old I 
have formed it, and now I have brought it to effect : that fenced 
cities of fighting men should be turned to heaps of ruins ; and the 
inhabitants of them were weak of hand, they trembled and were 
confounded, they became like the grass of the field and the green" 
herb on the tops of houses, which withered before it came to matur- 
ity. Thy dwelling, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy 
way I knew before, and thy rage against Me. Thou hast been mad 
against Me, and thy pride hath come up to My ears ; therefore, I will 
put a ring in thy nose, and a bit between thy lips, and I will turn 
thee back by the way by which thou earnest. The night after the 
answer, the Lord sent an angel into the camp of the Assyrians, and 
smote one hundred and eighty-five thousand men. When Senna- 
cherib arose in the morning and saw the dead bodies of his mighty 
army, he returned into his own country. There he was slain by his 
sons, Adramelech and Sarasar, in the temple of his god Nesroch. 
Afterwards Ezechias was sick unto death, and prayed to the Lord 
that his life might be prolonged. The prophet Isaias announced 
to him that his prayer was heard, and said : This shall be the sign 



li. lls^ \ ^/^^ J^ino-s of Juda, 225 

from the Lord that the Lord will do the word which He hath 
spoken : Wilt thou that the shadow go forward ten lines, or that it 
go back so many degrees ? And Ezechias said : It is an easy mat- 
ter for the shadow to go forward ten lines; and I do not desire that 
this be done, but let it return back ten degrees. And Isaias the 
prophet called upon the Lord, and he brought the shadow ten 
degrees backwards by the lines, by which it had already gone down 
in the dial of Achaz. Berodach Baladan, King of Babylon, sent 
letters and presents to Ezechias in his sickness. Rejoicing at their 
coming, Ezechias showed them the gold and silver, the spices and 
odors, and ointments, and all the vessels and treasures of his palace 
and kingdom. Then came the prophet Isaias, saying: Hear the 
word of the Lord : Behold the days shall come that all that is in 
thy house, and that thy fathers have laid up in store unto this 
day, shall be carried unto Babylon ; nothing shall be left, saith the 
Lord. And of thy sons also that shall issue from thee whom thou 
shalt beget, they shall take away, and they shall.be eunuchs in 
the palace of the King of Babylon. Ezechias supplied Jerusalem 
with water, and died one of the just kings of Juda. 

6. Manasses began to reign at the age of twelve, and reigned' 
fifty-five years. He undid all the acts of his father, Ezechias ; he 
planted groves, built altars for all the host of heaven in the courts 
of the temple, established the high places, and filled Jerusalem with 
innocent blood. He used divination, observed omens, appointed 
pythons, multiplied soothsayers, and made his son pass through fire. 
Provoked by the iniquity of Manasses, the Lord spoke : Beliold, I 
will bring on evils upon Jerusalem and Juda, that whosoever shall 
hear of them both his ears shall tingle. And I will stretch over 
Jerusalem the line of Samaria and the weight of the house of 
Achab ; and I will efiiice Jerusalem as writings upon tables are wont 
to be efficed, and I will erase and turn it, and draw the pencil often 
over the face thereof. And I will leave the remnants of my inheri- 
tance, and will deliver them into the hands of their enemies; and 
they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies; because 
they have done evil before Me, and have continued to provoke Me,. 



2 26 The Kings of Juda. \ ^;^; ^^-^°^ 

from the day that their fathers came out of Egypt even unto this 
day. God deHvered up Manasses to an army of the Assyrians, and 
he was carried, bound with chains and fetters, into captivity at 
Babylon. There he repented, and was restored to his kingdom 
He spent the remainder of his days in effacing the sinful doings of 
his reign. He was succeeded by his wicked son. Anion, who reigned 
two years, and was slain in his twenty-fourth year by the servants of 
the palace. 

7. Amon's son, Josias, a worthy successor of David and Ezechias, 
reigned in his stead. He reigned thirty-one years, and was eight 
years old when he began to reign. Josias repaired the temple, and 
discovered the autograph copy of the Book of the Law. He began 
to serve the Lord in the sixteenth year of his age, and continued 
faithful all his days. He went up to the temple, and made a cove- 
nant with God to walk according to the Law. He commanded 
Helcias the high-priest, and the priests of the second order, and tlie 
door-keepers, to cast out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels 
that had been made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host 
of heaven ; and he burnt them without Jerusalem in the valley of 
Cedron, and he carried the ashes of them to Bethel. And he 
destroyed the soothsayers whom the kings of Juda had appointed to 
sacrifice in the high places in the cities of Juda and round about 
Jerusalem; them also that burnt incense to Baal, and to the sun, 
and to the moon, and to the twelve signs, and to all the host 
of heaven ; and he caused the grove to be carried out from the 
house of the Lord without Jerusalem to the valley of Gedron, and 
'he burnt it there, and reduced it to dust, and cast the dust upon the 
:graves of the common people. He destroyed also the pavilions of 
the effeminate which were in the house of the Lord, for which the 
women wove as it were little dwellings for the grove. And he 
■gathered together all the priests out of the cities of Juda, and he 
defiled the high places where the priests offered sacrifice, from Gabaa 
to Bersabee, and he broke down the altars of the gates that were in the 
■entering in of the gate of Josue, governor of the city, which was on 
th-e left hand of the gate of the city. However, the priests of the 



B.C. 971-606 
B.C. 588 



The Kings of Juda. 227 



high places came not up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but 
only ate of the unleavened bread among their brethren. And 
he defiled Topjieth, which is in the valley of the son of P'.nnom, that 
no man should consecrate there his son or his daughter through fire 
to Moloch. And he took away the horses which the kings of Juda 
had given to the sun at the entering in of the temple of the Lord, 
near the chamber of Nathanmelech the eunuch, who was in Pharu- 
rim, and he burnt the chariots of the sun with fire ; and the altars 
that were upon the top of the upper chamber of Achaz, which the 
kings of Juda had made, and the altars which Manasses had made 
in the two courts of the temple of the Lord, the king broke down ; 
he cast the ashes of them into the torrent Cedron. The high places 
also that were at Jerusalem on the right side of the Mount of 
Offence, which Solomon, King of Israel, had built to Astaroth, the 
idol of the Sidonians, and to Chamos, the scandal of Moab, and to 
Melchom, the abomination of the children of Ammon, the king 
defiled. And he broke in pieces the statues, and cut down the 
groves, and he filled their places with the bones of dead men. 
Moreover, the altar also that was at Bethel, and the high place 
which Jeroboam, the son of Nabat, who made Israel to sin, had 
made : both the altar and the high place he broke down, and burnt 
and reduced to powder, and burnt the grove. And as Josias turned 
himself, he saw there the sepulchres that were in the mount; and he 
sent and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burnt them upon 
the altar, and defiled it according to the word of the Lord, which 
the man of God spoke who had foretold these things. And he 
said : "What is that monument which I see ? And the men of that 
city answered him : It is the sepulchre of the man of God who 
came from Juda, and foretold these things which thou hast done 
upon the altar of Bethel. And he said : Let him alone, let no man 
move his bones. So his bones were left untouched with the bones 
of the prophet that came out of Samaria ; moreover, all the temples 
of the high places which were in the cities of Samaria, which the 
kings of Israel had made to provoke the Lord, Josias took away ; and 
he did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Bethel. 



2 2 8 The Kings of Jtcda, \ ^;^: ^^-^os 

And he slew all the priests of the high places that were there upon 
the altars, and he burnt men's bodies upon them, and returned 
to Jerusalem. And he commanded all the people,, saying : Keep 
the Phase to the Lord your God, according as it is written in the 
book of this covenant. Now, there was no such a Phase kept from 
the days of the judges, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and 
of the kings of Juda. Josias was slain at Mageddo in an expedition 
against Pharao Nechao, King of Egypt. There was no king before 
him like unto him, that returned to the Lord with all his heart, and 
with all his soul, and with all his strength, according to all the Law 
of Moses ; neither after him did there arise any like him. Juda 
and Jerusalem mourned for him, particularly Jeremias, whose 
lamentations for Josias all the singing men and singing women 
repeated. It became like a law in Israel : Behold it is found writ- 
ten in the Lamentations. 

8. Josias was succeeded by his degenerate son Joachaz, whom 
Nechao, returning from his expedition against Assyria, carried cap- 
tive into Egypt, where he died. Joachaz reigned only three months, 
and was succeeded by his brother Joakim. In the fourth year of 
the reign of Joakim, Jerusalem was taken by Nabuchodonosor, King 
of Babylon, and Juda was made tributary. After three years, he re- 
belled, was taken captive, and slain according to the prophecy of 
Jeremias. Joakim murdered the prophet Urias, and persecuted Jere- 
mias and Baruch. When Joakim threw the prophecies of Jeremias 
into the fire, God pronounced this sentence : Thou hast burnt that 
roll, saying : Why hast thou written therein, and said : The King of 
Babylon shall come speedily, and shall lay waste this land, and shall 
cause to cease from thence man and beast ? Therefore thus saith 
the Lord against Joakim, the King of Juda : He shall have none to 
sit upon the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out 
to the heat by day, and to the frost by night. And I will punish 
him, and his seed, and his servants for their iniquities, and I will 
bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon 
the men of Juda all the evil that I have pronounced against them, 
but they have not heard. Three thousand twenty-three Jews were 



It 588"^°^ } ^^^ J^ino-s of Juda. 229 

carried into captivity, and Joachin, tlie son of Joakim, reigned in Je- 
rusalem. After three months and ten days, Nabuchodonosor carried 
the wealth, and men, and strength of Juda and Jerusalem to Baby- 
lon, and left Sedecias as king over the baser sort of people. In the 
tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year of his reign, Nabucho- 
donosor with all his army surrounded and besieged Jerusalem. In 
the eleventh year of Sedecias, a famine prevailed in Jerusalem, and 
a breach was made into the city. All the men of war fled in the 
night by the way of the gate which is between the two walls of the 
king's garden. Sedecias fled by the way that leadeth to the plains 
of the wilderness, iVnd the army of the Chaldees pursued after the 
king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all the warriors 
that were with him were scattered, and left him. So they took the 
king and brought him to the King of Babylon to Reblatha, and he 
gave judgment upon him. And he slew the sons of Sedecias before 
his face, and he put out his eyes, and bound him with chains, and 
brought him to Babylon. In the fifdi month, the seventh day of the 
month, the same is the nineteenth year of the King of Babylon, 
came Nabuzardan, commander of the army, a servant of the King 
of Babylon, into Jerusalem. And he burnt the house of the Lord, 
and the king's house, and the houses of Jerusalem, and every great 
house he burnt with fire. And all the army of the Chaldees 
which was with the commander of the troops broke down the walls 
of Jerusalem round about. Nabuzardan, the commander of the 
army, carried away the rest of the people that remained in the 
city, and the fugitives that had gone over to the King of Baby- 
lon, and the remnant of the common people. But of the poor 
of the land he left some dressers of vines and husbandmen. 
And the pillars of brass that were in the temple of the Lord, 
and the bases, and the sea of brass which was in the house of 
the Lord, the Chaldees broke in pieces, and carried all the brass 
of them to Babylon. They took away also the pots of brass, and 
the mazers, and the forks, and the cups, and the mortars, and all the 
vessels of brass with which they ministered. Moreover, also, the 
censers, and the bowls such as were of gold in gold, and such as 



230 The Ki7tgs o/yuda. {H.^-^""' 

were of silver in silver, the general took away. That is, two pillars, 
one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made in the temple of 
the Lord ; the brass of all these vessels was without weight. One 
pillar was eighteen cubits high, and the chapiter of brass which was 
upon it was three cubits high, and the net-work and the pomegra- 
nates that were upon the chapiter of the pillar were all of brass, and 
the second pillar had the like adorning. And the general of the 
army took Saraias the chief priest, and Sophonias the second priest, 
and three door-keepers. And out of the city one eunuch, who was 
captain over the men of war, and five men of them that had stood 
before the king, whom he found in the city, and Sopher, the captain 
of the army, who exercised the young soldiers of the people of the 
land, and threescore men of the common people who were found in 
the city. These Nabuzardan, the general of the army, took away, 
and carried them to the King of Babylon to Reblatha. And the 
King of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Reblatha in the land 
of Emath : so Juda was carried away out of their land. 

QUESTIONS. 

Give an account of Juda under Roboam ? Give a description of the battle 
between Abia and Jeroboam ? What is the history of Juda under King Asa? 
What sins was Asa guilty of? What do you know of Josaphat's reign ? 
State the history of Juda to the wicked Achaz ? Describe the reign of the 
good Ezechias ? Give the circumstances of the destruction of Sennache- 
rib's army? Give the history of Juda to the reign of Josias ? What do )^ou 
know of Josias' reign? Give the history of Juda to its destruction by Na- 
buchodonosor ? 



SECTION V. 



BIBLE HISTORY FROM ESDRAS, NEHEMIAS, HYRCAN, 
AND JASON. 



NABUCHODONOSOR TO CHRIST. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

JUDA DURING THE BABYLONIAN AND PERSIAN EMPIRES. — B.C. 6o6 

_— B.C. 323. 

{/,.5:r-^r^.^^,^^,.^,^.-^-^^^ HE melancbo]y deportation of the Jews, 

and their captivity in Babylon through 

seventy years, had been foretold by 

the prophet Jeremias in these words : 

" Therefore, thus saith the Lord of 

Hosts : Because you have not heard 

My Avords, behold I will send and take 

all the kindreds of the north, saith the 

Lord, and Nabuchodonosor, the King 

of Babylon, My servant; and I will 

bring them against this land, and against 

the inhabitants thereof, and against all the nations that are 

round about it ; and I will destroy them, and make them an 

astonishment and a hissing, and perpetual desolations. I 

will take away from them the voice of mirth, and the voice 

of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of 

'^ the bride, the sound of the mill, and the light of the lamp. 

\ And all ihis land shall be a desoladon and an astonishment; 

and all these nations shall serve the King of Babylon seventy years. 

And when the seventy years shall be expired, I will punish the 




232 Juda. j-c.S 

King of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, 
and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it perpetual desola- 
tions." Again : " For thus saith the Lord: When the seventy years 
shall begin to be accomplished in Babylon, I will visit you ; and I 
will perform My good word in your favor, to bring you again to this 
place. For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the 
Lord, thoughts of peace and not of affliction, to give you an end 
and patience." The Jewish nation hearkened not. They had 
changed the form of government which they received from Moses 
and Josue, and substituted, against the protest of the prophet Samuel, 
a theocratic monarchical system for a theocratic republican one. 
Wicked kings led them into all excesses of idolatry, impurity, dis- 
obedience, and hardness of heart. The prophets were slain, the 
priests were despised, the law was neglected, and the land was filled 
widi innocent blood. Therefore, God scourged Juda with the sword 
of the Babylonian, and, when Juda was delivered, held it subject to 
the successive conquerors of the world down to the coming of the 
Messias — to the Persian, the Greek, and the Roman. The sorrow 
of Juda in its captivity is well expressed in this lamentation : " Upon 
the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept when we remembered 
Sion. On the willows in the midst thereof we hung up our instru- 
ments, for there they that led us into captivity required of us the 
words of a song, and they that carried us away said : Sing ye to us 
a hymn of the songs of Sion. How" shall w^e sing the song of the 
Lord in a strange land? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my 
right hand be forgotten. Let my tongue cleave to my jaws if I do 
not remember thee, if I make not Jerusalem the beginning of my 
joy. Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of 
Jerusalem, who say : Raze it, raze it, even to the foundation thereof. 
O daughter of Babylon, consumed with misery, blessed shall he be 
who shall repay thee thy payment which thou hast paid us, and 
blessed be he that shall take and dash thy little ones against the 
stones." 

2. God, however, did not leave His people without comforts in the 
depths of their desolation, for the great prophets Jeremias, Ezechiel, 



B.^:Sf Juda. 233 

and Daniel were ever present with words of consolation to support 
the fainting spirits of the scattered remnants of Juda. Jeremias 
wrote to the Jews in Babylon : "Build ye houses, and dwell in them ; 
plant orchards, and eat the fruit of them ; and be ye multiplied 
there, and be not few in number. Seek the peace of the city to which 
I have caused you to be carried away capdves, and pray to the Lord 
for it, for in the peace thereof shall be your peace. You shall seek 
Me, and shall find Me, when you shall seek Me with all your heart. 
And I will be found by you, saith the Lord, and I will bring back 
your captivity, and I will gather you out of all nations, and from all 
the places to which I have driven you out, saith the Lord; and I 
will bring you back from the place to which I caused you to be 
carried away captive." Daniel, Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago w^re 
captive Hebrew youths in the king's palace whom God especially 
favored, because they refused to be defiled with the king's meats. 
In the second year of the reign of Nabuchodonosor, Nabuchodono- 
sor had a dream, and his spirit was terrified with it, and his dream 
went out of his mind. Then the king commanded to call together 
the diviners, and the wise men, and the magicians, and the Chal- 
deans, to declare to the king his dreams. So they came and stood 
before the king, and the king said to them : I have dreamed a dream, 
and am troubled in mind, and know not what I dreamed. And the 
Chaldeans answered the king in Syriac : O king, live for ever ; tell 
to thy servants thy dream, and we will declare the interpretation 
thereof. And the king answering, said to the Chaldeans : The thing 
is gone out of my mind ; unless you tell me the dream and the mean- 
ing thereof, you shall be put to death, and your houses shall be con- 
fiscated. But if you tell the dream and the meaning of it, you shall 
receive of me rewards, and gifcs, and great honor; therefore tell me 
the dream and the interpretation thereof. They answered again, 
and said : Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will 
declare the interpretation of it. The king answered; and said : I 
know for certain that you seek to gain time, since you know that the 
thing is gone from me. If, therefore, you tell me not the dream, 
there is one sentence concerning you, that you have also framed a 



234 yuda. ]-:^^ 

lying interpretation, and full of deceit, to speak before me till the 
time pass away. Tell me, therefore, the dream, that I may know 
that you also give a true interpretation thereof. Then the Chaldeans 
answered before the king, and said : There is no man upon earth that 
can accomplish thy word, O king; neither doth any king, though 
great and mighty, ask such a thing of any diviner, or wise man, or Chal- 
dean. For the thing that thou askest is difficult; nor can anyone be 
found that can show it before the king except the gods, whose conversa- 
tion is not with men. Then the king, in a great fury, passed sentence 
of death upon all the wise men, and ordered their houses and 
property to be confiscated. Daniel received from God the know- 
ledge of the dream, together with its interpretation, and being intro- 
duced to the king by Arioch, who was commissioned to execute the 
wise men of Babylon, said : " The secret that the king desireth to 
know none of the wise men, or the philosophers, or the diviners, or the 
soothsayers can declare to the king. But there is a God in heaven 
that revealeth mysteries, who hath showed to thee, O king Nabu- 
chodonosor, what is to come to pass in the latter times. Thy dream 
and the visions of thy head upon thy bed are these: Thou, O king, 
didst begin to think in thy bed what should come to pass hereafter; 
and He that revealeth mysteries showed thee what shall come to pass. 
To me also this secret is revealed, not by any wisdom that I have 
more than all men alive, but that the interpretation might be made 
manifest to the king, and thou mightest know the thoughts of thy 
mind. Thou, O king, sawest, and behold, there was, as it were, a 
great statue ; this statue, which was great and tali of stature, stood 
before thee, and the look thereof was terrible. The head of this 
statue was of fine gold, but the breast and the arms of silver, and 
the belly and the thighs of brass; and the legs of iron, the feet part 
of iron and part of clay. Thus thou sawest, till a stone was cut out of 
a mountain without hands; and it struck the statue upon the feet there- 
of that were of iron and of clay, and broke them in pieces." After 
applying the dream to the kingdoms that were to follow the Baby- 
lonian, Daniel thus interprets the stone : " In the days of those king- 
doms, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be 



destroyed, and His kingdom shall not be delivered up to another 
people; and it shall break in pieces and shall consume all these 
kingdoms; and itself shall stand for ever. According as thou savvest, 
that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and broke 
in pieces the clay and the iron, and the brass, and the silver, and the 
gold, the great God hath showed the king what shall come to pass 
hereafter." The king then fell on his face, and acknowledged the God 
of Daniel. Daniel received many and great gifts, was appointed gov- 
ernor over all the provinces of Babylon, and was made chief of the 
magistrates over all the wise men. Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago 
were appointed over the works of the province of Babylon. 

3. In the sixteenth year of the captivity, Nabuchodonosor set up 
a golden statue in the plain of Dura, to be worshipped by all. 
Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago refused to worship the statue, and 
were called before the king, who said : Is it true that you 
do not worship my gods, nor adore the golden statue that I 
have set up ? Now, therefore, if you be ready, at whatever hour 
soever you shall hear the sound of the trumpet, flute, harp, sackbut, 
and psaltery, and symphony, and of all kind of music, prostrate 
yourselves, and adore the statue which I have made; but if you do 
not adore, you shall be cast the same hour into the furnace of burn- 
ing fire : and who is the God that shall deliver you out of my hand ? 
The three were bound and cast into the midst of a furnace of burn- 
ing fire, where they sang a canticle of praise to the Lord God of 
Israel. Then Nabuchodonosor the king was astonished, and rose 
up in haste, and said to his nobles : Did we not cast three men 
bound into the midst of the fire ? They answered the king, and 
said : True, O king. He answered, and said : Behold I see four 
men loose, and walking in the midst of the fire, and there is no hurt 
in them, and the form of the fourth is like the son of God. Then 
Nabuchodonosor came to the door of the burning fiery furnace, and 
said: Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago, ye servants of the most high 
God, come forth, and come hither. And immediately Sidrach, 
Misach, and Abdenago came out from the midst of the fire. And 
the nobles, and the magistrates, and the judges, and the great men 



236 Juda. ,'-:J^ 

of the king being gathered together, considered these men, that the 
fire had had no power on their bodies, and that not a hair of their 
head had been singed, nor their garments altered, nor the smell of 
the fire had passed on them. Then Nabuchodonosor, breaking forth, 
said: Blessed be their God, namely, the God of Sidrach, Misach, 
and Abdenago, who hath sent His angel, and hath delivered His ser- 
vants that believed in Him ; and they changed the king's word, and 
delivered up their bodies that they might not serve nor adore any 
god except their own God. . By me, therefore, this decree is made, 
that every people, tribe, and tongue which shall speak blasphemy 
against the God of Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago shall be de- 
stroyed, and their houses be laid waste, for there is no other God 
that can save in this manner. 

4. Afterwards, the pride of Nabuchodonosor swelled so as to 
reach up to heaven. He had a vision of a great tree, which Daniel 
interpreted of the king himself, and predicted that he would be seized 
with madness and fury for seven years, and driven from the society 
of men. A year after, the king was walking in the palace of Baby- 
lon, and said : Is not this the great Babylon which I have built to 
be the seat of the kingdom, by the strength of my power, and 
in the glory of my excellence ? And while the word was 
yet in the king's mouth, a voice came down from heaven : 
To thee, King Nabuchodonosor, it is said : Thy kingdom 
shall pass from thee, and they shall cast thee out from among men, 
and thy dwelling shall be with cattle and wild beasts; thou shalt 
eat grass like an ox, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou 
know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth 
it to whomsoever He will. The same liour the word was fulfilled 
upon Nabuchodonosor, and he was driven away from among men, 
and did eat grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of 
heaven; till his hairs grew like the feathers of eagles, and liis 
nails like birds' claws. Now, at the end of the days, I, Nabuchodo- 
nosor, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my sense was restored to 
me; and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and glorilied Him 
that liveth forever; for His power is an everlasting power, and His 



li.C. 606 I 
li.c. 323 )■ 



Jtcda. 237 



kingdom is to all generations. And all the inhabitants of the earth 
are reputed as nothing before Him ; for He doth according to His 
will, as well with the powers of heaven as among the inhabitants 
of the earth; and there is none that can resist His hand, and say to 
Him, Why hast thou done it ? At the same time, my sense returned 
to me, and I came to the honor and glory of my kingdom; and my 
shape returned to me ; and my nobles and my magistrates sought 
for me, and 1 was restored to my kingdom ; and greater majesty was 
added to me. Therefore, I, Nabuchodonosor, do now praise, and 
magnify, and glorify the King of heaven ; because all His works are 
true, and His ways judgments, and them that walk in pride He is able 
to abase. 

5. Daniel was in high favor with Baltassar, grandson and suc- 
cessor of Nabuchodonosor. In his reign, he destroyed the dragon 
which the Babylonians worshipped, and overthrew the idol, tem.ple, 
and ministers of Bel. Against Babylon Jeremias wrote : " Prepare 
the nations against her, the kings of Media, their captains, and all 
their rulers, and all the land of their dominion. The valiant men 
of Babylon have forborne to fight, they have dwelt in holds; their 
strength hath failed, and they are become as women ; her dwelling- 
places are burnt, her bars are broken. One running post shall meet: 
another, and messenger shall meet messenger, to tell the King of 
Babylon that his city is taken from one end to the other; and that 
the fcrds are taken, and the marshes are burnt with fire, and the 
men of war are affrighted. And Babylon shall be reduced to heaps, 
a dwelling-place for dragons, an astonishment and a hissing, because 
there is no inhabitant. They shall roar together like lions, they 
shall shake their manes like young lions. In their heat I will set 
them drink ; and I will make them drunk, that they may slumber, 
and sleep an everlasting sleep, and awake no more, saith the Lord." 
Baltassar, King of Babylon, made a feast for a thousand of his. 
nobles, and, when they were drunk, brought in the sacred vessels of 
Solomon's temple. In the midst of the banquet, there appeared the 
hand of a man writing on the wall. Then the king's countenance 
changed, the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees struck 



238 Juda. 1-:^=^ 

one against the other. Daniel, being sent for, and promised rewards 
for the interpretation of the handwriting, addressed the king thus : 
" Thy rewards be to thyself, and the gifts of thy house give to another; 
but the writing I will read to thee, O king, and show thee the in- 
terpretation thereof. O king, the most high God gave to Nabu- 
chodonosor thy father a kingdom, and greatness, and glory, and 
honor. And for the greatness that He gave to him, all people, tribes, 
and languages trembled, and were afraid of him ; whom he would, 
he slew; and whom he would, he destroyed; and whom he would, 
he set up; and whom he would, he brought down. But when his 
heart was lifted up, and his spirit hardened unto pride, he was put 
down from the throne of his kingdom, and his glory was taken away. 
And he was driven out from the sons of men, and his heart was 
made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses, and 
he did eat grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of 
heaven ; till he knew that the Most High ruled in the kingdom of 
men, and that He will set over it whomsoever it shall please Him. 
Thou also, his son, O Baltassar, hast not humbled thy heart, where- 
as thou knewest all these things ; but hast lifted thyself up against 
the Lord of heaven ; and the vessels of His house have been brought 
before thee ; and thou, and thy nobles, and thy wives, and thy con- 
cubines have drunk wine in them ; and thou hast praised the gods 
of silver, and of gold, and of brass, of iron, and of wood, and of 
stone, that neither see, nor hear, nor feel; but the God who hath 
thy breath in His hand, and all thy ways, thou hast not glorified. 
Wherefore He hath sent the part of the hand which hath written 
this that is set down. iVnd this is the writing that is written : mane, 
THECEL, PHARES. And this is the interpretation of the word mane : 
God hath numbered thy kingdom, and hath finished it. Thecel : 
thou art weighed in the balance, and art found wanting. Phares : 
thy kingdom is divided, and is given to the Medes and Persians." 
That night, the army of Cyrus, having turned the course of the river, 
entered by its channels, slew the king, overthrew the Babylonian 
-empire, and fulfilled the words of Jeremias. 

7. Daniel was clothed in purple, and had a chain of gold put 



lf.lt\ Juda. 239 

round his neck, and was proclaimed the third person in the empire at 
Baltassar's banquet. He was thus brought prominently before the con- 
queror, Darius the Mede. Darius appointed one hundred and twenty 
governors over his whole kingdom, and three princes over them, 
of whom Daniel was one. Instigated by jealousy, the princes and 
governors induced Darius to make a law, forbidding all to ask, under 
pain of death, request of God or man for thirty days, except the 
request be made to the king. They accused Daniel of praying three 
times a day. The king set his heart to deliver Daniel, but in vain ; 
for the laws of the Medes and Persians when signed by the king are 
unchangeable. Daniel was thrown into a den of lions, a stone 
sealed with the king's ring was set at the mouth of the den, and all 
departed. The king remained without food or sleep that night, and, 
coming very early in the morning near to the den, cried with a 
lamentable voice to Daniel, and said to him : " Daniel, servant of the 
living God, hath thy God, whom thou servest always, been able, 
thinkest thou, to deliver thee from the lions ? " Daniel, answering the 
king, said : " O king, live for ever ; my God hath sent His angel, and 
hath shut up the mouths of the lions, and they have not hurt me ; 
forasmuch as before Him justice hath been found in me ; yea, and 
before thee, O king, I have done no offence." The king then ordered 
Daniel to be taken out, and his accusers to be cast in, with their 
wives and children. They were immediately devoured by the lions 
in the king's presence. Whereupon King Darius wrote to all peoples, 
tribes, and languages dwelling in the whole earth : " Peace be multi- 
plied unto you. It is decreed by me that, in all my empire and my 
kingdom, all men dread and fear the God of Daniel; for He is the 
living and eternal God for ever; .and His kingdom shall not be 
destroyed, and His power shall be for ever. He is the deliverer 
and saviour, doing signs and wonders in heaven and in earth : wlio 
hath delivered Daniel out of the lions' den." 

8. In the seventeenth year of the captivity, when all Asia was 
subject to him, the following prophecy from the forty-fifth chapter 
of Isaias was shown Cyrus : " Thus saith the Lord to my anointed 
Cyrus, whose right hand I have taken hold of, to subdue nations 



240 Juda. {^-^:^ 

before his face, and to turn the backs of kmgs, and to open the doors 
before him, and the gates shall not be shut. I will go before thee, 
and will humble the great ones of the earth ; I will break in pieces 
the gates of brass, and will burst the bars of iron. And I will give 
thee hidden treasures, and the concealed riches of secret places, 
that thou mayest know that I am the Lord who call thee by thy 
name, the God of Israel. For the sake of My servant Jacob, and 
Israel My elect, I have even called thee by thy name ; I have made a 
likeness of thee, and thou hast not known Me. I am the Lord, and 
there is none else ; there is no God beside me. ' I girded thee, and 
thou hast not known Me; that they may know, who are from the 
rising of the sun, and they who are from the west, that there is none 
beside Me: I am the Lord and there is none else." When 
Cyrus read the prophecy, he was moved by the Spirit of God and 
with pity for the Hebrews, and issued the first of four Persian 
decrees for their liberation, to this effect : " Thus saith Cyrus, King of 
the Persians : The Lord the God of heaven hath given to me all the 
kingdoms of the earth, and He hath charged me to build Him a 
house in Jerusalem, which is in Judea. Who is there among you of 
all His people ? His God be with him. Let him go up to Jeru- 
salem, which is in Judea, and build the house of the Lord the God 
of Israel : He is the God that is in Jerusalem. And let all the rest in 
all places wheresoever they dwell help him every man from his 
place, with silver and gold, and goods, and cattle, besides that which 
they offer freely to the temple of God which is in Jerusalem." The 
second was issued by Darius Hystaspis. After referring to the de- 
cree of the first year of Cyrus, and mentioning the order to rebuild 
the temple and restore the vessels which Nabuchodonosor had taken 
away, Darius decrees : " Now, therefore, Thathanai, governor of the 
country which is beyond the river, Stharbuzanai, and your counsel- 
lors the Apharsachites, who are beyond the river, depart far from 
them, and let that temple of God be built by the governor of 
the Jews and by their ancients, that they may build that house of 
God in its place. I also have commanded what must be done by 
those ancients of the Jews, that the house of God may be built, to 



lltfz'i >'^'*- 241 

wit, that of the king's chest, that is, of the tributes that are paid out of 
the country beyond the river, the charges be diHgently given to those 
men, lest the work be hindered. And if it shall be necessary, let 
calves also, and lambs, and kids, for holocausts to the God of 
heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the custom of the 
priests that are in Jerusalem, be given them day by day, that there 
be no complaint in anything. And let them offer oblations to the 
God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and of his children. 
And I have made a decree. That if any whosoever shall alter this 
commandment, a beam be taken from his house, and set up, and he 
be nailed upon it, and his house be confiscated, and may the God 
that ha^h caused His name to dwell there destroy all kingdoms, and 
the people that shall put out their hand to resist, and to destroy that 
house of God that is in Jerusalem. I Darius have made the decree, 
which I will have diligently complied with." The third decree was 
issued by Artaxerxes Longimanus to the priest Esdras, in the seventh 
year of his reign : " Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Esdras the priest, the 
most learned scribe of the law of God of heaven, greeting : It is 
decreed by me that all they of the people of Israel, and of the priests 
thereof, and of the Levites in my realm, that are minded to go into 
Jerusalem, should go with thee. For thou art sent from before the 
king and his seven counsellors to visit Judea and Jerusalem, ac- 
cording to the law of thy God which is in thy hand; and to carry 
tlie silver and gold which the king and his counsellors have freely 
offered to the God of Israel, whose tabernacle is in Jerusalem. And 
if it seem good to thee and to thy brethren to do anything with 
the rest of the silver and gold, do it according to the will of your 
God. The vessels, also, that are given thee for the house of thy 
God, deliver thou in the sight of God in Jerusalem. And whatso- 
ever more there shall be need of for the house of thy God, how 
much soever thou shalt have occasion to spend, it shall be given 
out of the treasury, and the king's exchequer, and by me. I Arta- 
xerxes the king have ordered and decreed to all the keepers of the 
public, these that are beyond the river, that whatsoever Esdras the 
priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of 



242 Juda. -{1:^,; 



606 
323 



you^ you give it without delay; unto a hundred talents of silver, 
and unto a hundred cores of wheat, and unto a hundred bates of 
wine, and unto a hundred bates of oil, and salt without measure. 
All that belongeth to the rites of the God of heaven, let it be given 
dihgently in the house of the God of heaven. And whosoever 
will not do the law of thy God and the law of the king diligently, 
judgment shall be executed upon him, either unto death, or unto 
banishment, or to the confiscation of goods, or at least to prison." 
The fourth decree was issued to Nehemias, in the twentieth year of 
the same monarch, Artaxerxes Longimanus. The three first de- 
crees refer to the rebuilding of the temple and restoration of the wor- 
ship of the God of Israel. This fourth decree refers to the rebuild- 
ing of Jerusalem — its walls, houses, streets, and public places. It is 
thus mentioned in the Second Book of Esdras : " And Nehemias 
said to the king : If it seem good to the king, let him give me letters 
to the governors of the country beyond the river, that they convey 
me over till I come into Judea, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper 
of the king's forest, to give me timber that I may cover the gates of 
the tower of the house, and the walls of the city, and the house that 
I shall enter into. And the king gave me according to the good 
hand of my God with me. And I came to the governors of the 
country beyond the river, and gave them the king's letters. And 
the king had sent with me captains of soldiers, and horsemen." Of 
these four decrees the first marks the end of the Babylonian cap- 
tivity, the fourth the commencement of the seventy weeks of 
Daniel. 

9. Against the opposition and wiles of the Samaritans, against the 
bribed ministers of Persian kings, and against the decree of Smerdis, 
the remnant of Juda that returned persevered under the most trying 
circumstances. The Jews were compelled to build the walls work- 
ing with one hand, and armed for war with the other. Under the 
leadership of Zorobabel and Josue, Esdras and Nehemias, and in- 
spired by the prophets Aggeus and Zacharias, the return of Juda to 
Judea was effected. 

10. The temple was rebuilt, and, though it lacked the material 



B.C. 323 



A.D. 



Juda, 243 



glory of Solomon's temple, it was to be more glorious by the pre- 
sence of the IMessias. The law was read to the people, and, though 
written in Chaldaic characters, was presented in full and canonical 
form by Esdras, the second Moses. The priestly order, the rites, 
commandments, ceremonies, judgments, and sacrifices were revived. 
Jerusalem was rebuilt, and though the Jewish nation was under the 
tutelage of the reigning empire of the world, enjoyed domestic rulers 
to Herod the Idumean, and lived in the heritage it had received 
from the Lord through Moses and Josue to the days of Titus. It 
was without prophets, but it was also without kings. 

II. The high-priests after the captivity to Alexander the Great 
were, Josue's son, Josedec, Joacim, Eliasib, Iradas, Jonathas, and 
Jaddus. 

QUESTIONS. 

Give the history of Daniel ? State the four edicts of liberation ? State the 
obstacles to the restoration of Juda? Give a description of renovated Juda? 



CHAPTER XXXV. 




JUDA DURING THE GRECIAN AND ROMAN EMPIRES. — B.C. 323 

A.D. I. 

FTER the sieges of Tyre and Gaza, Alexander the Great 
marched with his army into Judea, unfriendly to the 
Jews, both on account of the intrigues of the high- 
priest's brother, ]\Ianasses, who married the Samaritan, 
Sanaballat's daughter, and built a second temple in Mount Garizim, 
and because the Jews, being bound by oath to Persia, were unfavor- 
able to his expeditions. Warned by God in a dream, the high- 
priest, Jaddus, adorned the city, opened the gates, and went out 
with the people clad in white, and tlie priests in the robes of their 
order, and himself in the garments of the high-priest, to meet the con- 
queror of Asia. When Alexander saw the multitude, and beheld the 
high-priest in purple and scarlet clothing, with the mitre on his head, 
having the golden plate whereon the sacred Name was engraved, he 



244 Juda, 



( B.C. 323 
'\ A.D. I 



approached by himself, and adored that name, and saluted the high- 
i^riest. Parmenio enquired the cause of this strange conduct. Alex- 
ander rephed : '•' I did not adore him, but that God who hath 
honored him with the high-priesthood ; for I saw this very person 
in this very habit in a dream when I was at Dios in Macedonia. 
According to the exhortation of that dream, I bring this army 
under divine conduct, and all things will succeed with me." Alex- 
ander entered Jerusalem, had sacrifices offered to the God of Israel, 
and conceded favors without number to the Jews. 

2. On the death of Alexander, four kingdoms arose out of the 
empire which he conquered — Syria, Egypt, Asia Minor, and Greece. 
The vexatious wars of these kingdoms, from the year 323 before 
Christ to their absorption by the Romans, were a continuous source 
of uneasiness, affliction, and disaster to Juda. Ptolemy Lagus, one 
of Alexander's generals to whom Egypt fell, entered Jerusalem on the 
Sabbath, the Jews never dreaming of hostile movements, seized upon 
the city, and, after robbing Juda and Samaria, led an immense mul- 
titude of people captive into Egypt. 

3. After disgraceful contests for the high-priesthood, and many 
sins on the part of the people, who forgot the law of Moses for the 
civilization of the Greeks, a most dreadful persecution came upon 
Juda in the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes. This Antiochus was 
bribed by Jason to depose the holy high-priest Onias, and by Mene- 
laus to depose Jason, and by Lysimachus to depose Menelaus. 
When Antiochus was preparing a second expedition into Egypt, it 
came to pass that throughout the whole city of Jerusalem for the 
space of forty days there were seen horsemen running in the air, in 
gilded raiment, and armed with spears like bands of soldiers, and 
horses set in order by ranks, running and encountering one against 
another, with the shakings of shields, and a multitude of men in hel- 
mets with drawn swords, and casting of darts, and glittering of 
golden armor, and of harness of all sorts. The -first interpretation 
of these prodigies came from Jason, who, with a thousand men, 
seized Jerusalem, and put his countrymen to the sword as though 
they had been enemies. This Jason was afterwards obliged to flee 



ll.f'! Juda. 245 

from city to city, till he reached Lacedemon, where he died, so that 
he that had cast out many unburied was himself cast forth both 
unlamented and unburied, neither having foreign burial nor being 
partaker of the sepulchre of his fathers. 

4. Now, in the one hundred and forty-third year of the Grecian 
Empire, and in the fourth year of the one hundred and fifty- 
second Olympiad, Antiochus Epiphanes, being driven out of Egypt 
by the Roman legates, and hearing that a rumor about his death 
was circulated at Jerusalem, and fearing a revolt of the Jews, came 
up and took the city with enormous slaughter. There were slain in 
the space of three whole days fourscore thousand, forty thousand 
were made prisoners, and as many sold. He also took away out of 
the temple one thousand and eight hundred talents, and went back 
to Antioch, leaving Philip, a Trygean, at Jerusalem, and Andronicus 
and Menelaus at Garizim, to exterminate the Jewish nation and re- 
ligion. 

5. Antiochus sent an old man from Antioch to profane the temple? 
and compel the Jews, under pain of death, to depart from the laws 
of their fathers. He called the temple in Jerusalem the temple of 
Jupiter Olympius, and that in Garizim the temple of Jupiter Hos- 
pitalis. Many of the Jews remained faithful to the Law, and suffered 
the most grievous torments. Two women were accused of having 
circumcised their children, whom, when they had openly led about 
through die city with the infants hanging at their breasts, they threw 
down headlong from the walls. Others that had met together in 
caves that were near, and were keeping the Sabbath-day privately, 
being discovered by Philip, were burnt with fire, because they made 
a conscience to help themselves with their hands, by reason of the 
religious observance of the day. Eleazar, one of the chief of the 
scribes, a man advanced in years, and of a comely countenance, was 
pressed to open his mouth to eat swine's flesh. But he, choosing 
rather a most glorious death than a hateful life, went forward of his 
own accord to the torment ; and, considering in what manner he 
was to come to it, patiently bearing, he determined not to do any 
unlawful things for the love of life. But they that stood by, being 



246 yuda. 



B.C. 323 



A.D. 



moved with wicked pity for the old friendship they had with the 
man, taking him aside, desired that flesh might be brought which 
it was lawful for him to eat, that he might make as if he had eaten, 
as the king had commanded, of the flesh of the sacrifice, that, by so 
doing, he might be delivered from death ; and, for the sake of their 
old friendship with the man, they did him this courtesy. But he 
began to consider the dignity of his age, and his ancient years, and 
the inbred honor of his gray head, and his good life and conversa- 
tion from a child ; and he answered without delay, according to the 
ordinances of the holy Law made by God, saying that he would 
rather be sent into the other world; for it doth not become our age, 
said he, to dissemble, whereby many young persons might think 
that Eleazar, at the age of fourscore and ten years, was gone over to 
the life of the heathens; and so they, through my dissimulation, and 
for a little time of a corruptible life, should be deceived, and hereby 
I should bring a stain and a curse upon my old age. He died of 
stripes, and left an example of virtue and fortitude to young men and 
the whole nation. During this persecution, seven brethren of the 
Machabees, with their mother, suffered persecution. Being forced 
to eat swine's flesh by the king, and having refused, they were tor- 
tured upon heated frying-pans and brazen caldrons. The eldest 
said to the king : What wouldst thou ask or learn of us ? We are 
ready to die rather than to transgress the laws of God received from 
our fathers. His tongue was cut out, the skin of his head drawn 
away, and the extremities of his limbs chopped off. He then suf- 
fered martyrdom. The second son suffered the same torments as 
the first ; and when he was at the last gasp, he said thus : Thou in- 
deed, O most wicked man ! destroyest us out of this present life ; but 
the King of the world will raise us up who die for His laws in the 
resurrection of eternal life. After him, the third was made a raock- 
ing-stoek, and, when he was required, he quickly put forth his tongue, 
and courageously stretched out his hands, and said with confidence : 
These I have from heaven, but for the laws of God I now despise 
them, because I hope to receive them again from Him. When the 
fourth was ready to die, he said : It is better, being put to death by 



men, to look for hope from God, to be raised up again by Him ; for, 
as to thee, thou shalt have no resurrection unto Hfe. And when 
they had brought the fifth, they tormented him; but he, looking up- 
on the king, said : Whereas thou hast power among men, though 
thou art corruptible, thou dost what thou wilt; but think not that 
our nation is forsaken by God ; but stay patiently a while, and thou 
shalt see His great power, in what manner He will torment thee and 
thy seed. After him they brought the sixth, and he, being ready to 
die, spoke thus : Be not deceived without a cause ; for we suffer 
these things for ourselves, having sinned against our God, and things 
worthy of admiration are done to us. But do no: think that thou 
shalt escape unpunished for that thou hast attempted to fight against 
God. Antiochus used all his endeavors* to allure the seventh son 
from the course of his brothers. He even asked the mother to use 
her influence. And when he had exhorted her with many words, she 
promised that she would counsel her son. So bending herself 
towards him, mocking the cruel tyrant, she said, in her own lan- 
guage : My son, have pity upon me, that bore thee nine months in 
my womb, and gave thee suck three years, and nourished thee, and 
brought thee up unto this age. I beseech thee, my son, look upon 
heaven and earth, and all that is in them, and consider that God 
made them out of nothing, and mankind also; so thou shalt not fear 
this tormentor, but, being made a worthy partner with thy brethren, 
receive death, that in that mercy I may receive thee again with thy 
brethren. While she was yet speaking these words, the young man 
said : For whom do you stay ? I will not obey the commandment 
of the king, but the commandment of the Law which was given us 
by Moses. But thou, that hast been the author of all mischief 
against the Hebrews, shalt not escape the hand of God. For we 
suffer thus for our sins. And though the Lord our God is angry 
with us a little while for our chastisement and correction, yet He will 
be reconciled again to His servants. But thou, O ungracious, and 
of all others the most wicked, b& n6t lifted up without cause with 
vain hopes, whilst thou art raging against His servants ; for thou 
hast not yet escaped the judgment of Almighty God, who beholdeth 



248 Juda. 



B.C. 323 
A.D. I 



all things. My brethren, having now undergone a short pain, are 
under the covenant of eternal life; but thou, by the judgment of 
God, shalt receive just punishment for thy pride. But I, like my 
brethren, offer up my life and my body for the laws of our fathers ; 
calling upon God to be speedily merciful to our nation, and that 
thou by torments and stripes mayest confess that He alone is God. 
But in me and in my brethren the wrath of the Almighty, which 
hath justly been brought upon all our nation, shall cease. He died 
undefiled, but more cruelly tormented than all the rest. Last of 
all, the mother was consumed. She should be admired above 
measure, and is worthy to be remembered ; for she beheld her seven 
sons slain in one day, and bore it with good courage, for the hope 
she had in her God. 

6. God raised up a series of defenders in the Asmonean family, 
known also under the name Machabees, a word formed from the 
initial of the motto on their standard — Mi camoca be Efim, Jehova : 
WJio^ O Lord, is like to Thee aiiiong the gods ? The persecution at 
Jerusalem extended to Modin, the town of Mathathias. So far 
from assenting to the heathenism of Antiochus, Mathathias slew 
idolaters as they came to worship, and also the officer of that Gentile 
king, at the altar of sacrifice. He then fled to the mountains with 
his sons, John, Simon, Judas, Eieazar, and Jonathan. Many suf- 
fered death rather than fight the forces of Antiochus on the Sab- 
bath. Mathathias, however, determined to fight at all times. Hav- 
ing gathered an army of those zealous for the Law, especially of the 
Asideans, he made incursions against the enemy, overthrew heathen 
altars, circumcised boys that were uncircumcised, and defended his 
liberty, his life, and his nation. After a year he died. Here is the 
dying charge of the brave Machabee : Now hath pride and chastise- 
ment gotten strength, and the time of destruction, and the wrath of 
indignation ; now, therefore, O my sons, be ye zealous for the Law, 
and give your lives for the covenant of your fathers ; and call to 
remembrance the works of the fathers which they have done in their 
generations ; and you shall receive great glory and an everlasting 
name. Was not Abraham found faithful in temptation, and it was 



ro.f^;- y^ida. 249 

reputed to him unto justice ? Joseph in the time of his distress kept 
the commandment, and he was made lord of Egypt. Phineas, our 
father, by being fervent in the zeal of God, received the covenant 
of an everlasting priesthood. Jesus, whilst he fulfilled the word, 
was made ruler in Israel. Caleb, for bearing witness before the con- 
gregation, received an inheritance. David by his mercy obtained 
the throne of an everlasting kingdom. Elias, while he was full of 
zeal for the Law, was taken up into heaven. Ananias, and Azarias, 
and Misael, by believing, were delivered out of the flame. Daniel, 
in his innocence, was delivered out of the mouth of the lions. And 
thus consider through all generations : that none that trust in Him 
fail in strength. And fear not the words of a sinful man, for his glory 
is dung and worms ; to-day he is lifted up, and to-morrow he shall 
not be found, because he is returned into his earth, and his thought 
is come to nothing. You, therefore, my sons, take courage, and be- 
have manfully in the Law ; for by it you shall be glorious. And 
behold, I know that your brother Sinion is a man of counsel; give 
ear to him always, and he shall be a father to you. And Judas 
Machabeus, who is valiant and strong from his youth up, let him be 
the leader of your army, and he shall manage ^he war of the people. 
And you shall take to you all that observe the Law; and revenge 
ye the wrong of your people. Render to the Gentiles their reward, 
and take heed to the precepts of the Law. 

7. Judas Machabeus was appointed chief by Mathathias. Apol- 
lonius came from Samaria with an army against Judas, but was 
defeated with loss of many men and much booty. Judas took the 
sword of Apollonius, and fought with it all his lifetime. Seron, cap- 
tain of the army of Syria, wished to make himself a name, and came 
to Bethoron. Judas went against him with a few men, whom 
he addressed thus before the batde : It is an easy matter for many 
to be shut up in the hands of a few, and there is no difference in the 
sight of the God of heaven to deliver with a great multitude, or with 
a small company, for the success of war is not in the multitude of 
the army, but strength cometh from heaven. They come against us 
with an insolent multitude and with pride to destroy us, and our 



250 Juda. 



323 



A.D. 



wives, and our children, and to take our spoils ; but we will fight for 
our lives and our laws, and the Lord himself will overthrow them 
before our face; but as for you, fear them not. Judas began the 
battle with impetuosity, put Seron to flight with a loss of eight hun- 
dred men and many spoils. Now, Antiochus was going on an expe- 
dition into Persia, and gave the charge of his son, kingdom, and 
half the army to Lysias, with instructions to blot out the memory of 
the Jews from Jerusalem, and divide by lot their land among stran- 
gers. Lysias sent Ptolemee, Gorgias, and Nicanor, with an army 
of forty thousand infantry and seven thousand cavalry, to execute 
the king's commands. Jerusalem was uninhabited, the sanctuary 
was trodden down, the children of strangers were in the castle, the 
sound of the harp and pipe had ceased, and there was no joy in 
Jacob. Judas called his people in prayer and fasting to Maspha 
over against Jerusalem, and appointed leaders of thousands, and 
hundreds, and fifties, and tens. And Judas said : Gird yourselves, 
and be valiant men, and be ready against the morning, that you 
may fight with these nations that are assembled against us to destroy 
us and our sanctuary; for it is better for us to die in battle than to 
see the evils of our nation and of the holies. Nevertheless, as it shall 
be the will of God in heaven, so be it done. Now, Gorgias wished 
to strike the Jews suddenly, and, being led by the men of the castle 
in the night-time, went up to the camp of Judas with five thousand 
men and one thousand of the best horsemen. Judas had heard of 
the manoeuvre of Gorgias, and descended to the plain, while the king's 
forces were scattered through the camp at Emmaus. As day broke, 
there stood Judas with three thousand men who had neither armor 
nor swords ; before them was the camp of the Gentiles and men in 
breastplates and horsemen trained up to war. There Judas spoke : 
Fear ye. not their multitude, neither be ye afraid of their assault. 
Remember in what manner our fathers were saved in the Red Sea 
when Pharao pursued them with a great army. And now let us cry 
to heaven, and the Lord will have mercy on us, and will remember 
the covenant of our fathers, and will destroy this army before our 
face this day; and all nations shall know that there is One that 



B.C. 323 
A.D. I 



yuda. 251 



redeemeth and delivereth Israel. The trumpet sounded, and the 
armies joined in battle. The Gentiles were routed and pursued as 
far as Gezeron, Azotus, Idumea, and Jamnia. Their loss was three 
thousand. Meantime, Gorgias had come to the camp of Judas, and, 
finding no one it, concluded they had fled. A part of Gorgias' 
division appeared on the mountain. Beholding the camp on' fire, 
the Syrians routed, and Judas on the plain ready for battle, Gorgias 
and his men were filled with terror, and fled to the land of the 
stranger. Judas and his men returned home, singing hymns and 
bearing spoils with them — gold, silver, blue silk, purple of the sea, 
and great riches. The following year, Lysias came with sixty 
thousand chosen men and five thousand horsemen. Judas met him at 
Bethoron with ten thousand men. Before battle, he prayed and 
said : Blessed art thou, O Saviour of Israel, who didst break the 
violence of the mighty by the hand of Thy servant David, and didst 
deliver up the camp of the strangers into the hands of Jonathan, the 
son of Saul, and of his armor-bearer. Shut up this army in the 
hands of Thy people Israel, and let them be confounded in their host 
and their horsemen. Strike them with fear, and cause the boldness 
of their strength to languish, and let them quake at their own 
destruction. Cast them down with the sword of them that love 
Thee, and let all that know Thy name praise Thee with hymns, The 
Jews and Greeks then joined in battle, and there fell of the army of 
Lysias five thousand men. 

8. Lysias returned to Antioch, Judas to Jerusalem. Judas found 
the sanctuary desolate, the altar profaned, the gates burnt, the 
shrubs growing up in the courts as in a forest or on the mountains, 
and the chambers joining to the temple thrown down. The men of 
Judas rent their garments, put ashes on their heads, and made great 
lamentation. They purified the temple, restored all things according 
to Moses and Esdras, dedicated the altar, and offered sacrifice. 

9. The surrounding nations became jealous of the glory of Juda, 
and determined to destroy it. Judas slaughtered the children of 
Esau in Idumea, and overthrew the Ammonites under Timotheus. 
The Israelites of Galaad, being strengthened by the heathens, sent 



252 Jitda. 



B.C. 323 
A.D. I 



word to Judas. At the same time, word came from Galilee saying 
the children of Jacob were overrun by the men of Ptolemais, Tyre, 
and Sidon. Simon, with three thousand men, was sent into Galilee. 
Judas and Jonathan, with eight thousand men, went to Galaad. 
Joseph and Azarias were left with the remnant of the army over 
Juda, with commands not to go to war, Simon freed Galilee, and 
slew three thousand of the enemy. Judas overcame all the enemies 
on his way, and returned in joy to Jerusalem. Joseph and Azarias 
went to fight Gorgias against the orders of Judas, and lost two 
thousand men. 

10. When Antiochus Epiphanes was informed of the triumphs of 
Judas, he hastened from his disastrous expedition to Persia to come 
into Judea, and exterminate the name and nation of the Jews. Bent 
on destruction, and filled with fury, and breathing wrath against the 
God of Israel, he was returning with speed ; but the Lord 
sent an incurable disease upon him, and, though he endeavored 
to repent, he died, being a detestable thing in his own eyes, an 
intolerable stench in the midst of his army, a laughing-stock to the 
Jews, and a memorable example of God's justice before the world. 

11. His death placed Antiochus Eupator on the throne, with 
Lysias as the real ruler, in the year one hundred and forty-nine of 
Grecian rule. During his reign and that of his successor Demetrius, 
Juda gained many signal victories, which are written down in the 
Books of the Machabees, and are recorded by Josephus. Finally, 
fighting with a few hundred men against overwhelming numbers, 
Juda fell, and was buried by his brothers, Jonathan and Simon, in 
the sepulchre of his fathers at Modin. The Bible gives his character 
thus : " Instead of Mathathias rose up his son Judas, called Macha- 
beus ; all his brethren helped him, and all they that had joined 
themselves to his father, and they fought with cheerfulness the battle 
of Israel. And he got his people great honor, and put on a breast- 
plate as a giant, and girt his warlike armor about him in battles, and 
protected the camp with his sword. In his acts, he was like a lion, 
and like a lion's whelp roaring for his prey. And he pursued the 
wicked, and sought them out, and them that troubled his people he 



B.C. 323 
A.D. I 



Juda, 253 



burnt with fire; and his enemies were driven away for fear of him, 
and all the workers of iniquity were troubled, and salvation pros- 
pered in his hand. And he grieved many kings, and made Jacob 
glad with his works, and his memory is blessed for ever. And he 
went through the cities of Juda, and destroyed the wicked out of 
them, and turned away wrath from Israel. And he was renowned 
even to the utmost part of the earth, and he gathered them that 
were perishing." 

12. To Judas succeeded Jonathan, no less renowned ; and to Jona- 
than, Simon, of equal fame; and then came their posterity. In the 
time of the Machabees, the spiritual and temporal powers were united 
in one person; and from the Machabees the sceptre passed to a 
stranger out of Juda. 

13. Beset by enemies, and learning the high and just character of 
the Romans, and wishing to secure quiet to his nation, Judas sent 
Eupolemus and Jason to make a league of amity and confederacy 
with Rome. Eupolemus and Jason came to the Roman Senate- 
house, and said : Judas Machabeus and his brethren and the people 
of the Jews have sent us to you to make alliance and peace with 
you, and that we may be registered your confederates and friends. 
And the proposal was pleasing in their sight. And this is the copy 
of the writing that they wrote back again, graven in tables of brass, 
and sent to Jerusalem, that it might be with them there for a memo- 
rial of the peace and alliance : Good success be to the Romans and 
to the people of the Jews by sea and by land for ever, and far be the 
sword and enemy from them ; but if there come first any war upon 
the Romans, or any of their confederates in all their dominions, the 
nation of the Jews shall help them, according as the time shall direct, 
with all their heart. Neither shall they give them, whilst they are 
fighting, or furnish them with wheat, or arms, or money, or ships, as 
it hath seemed good to the Romans ; and they shall obey their orders 
without taking anything of them. In like manner, also, if war shall 
come first upon the nation of the Jews, the Romans shall help them 
with all their heart, according as the time shall permit them. And 
there shall not be given to them that come to their aid either wheat, 



2 54 Juda, \ 



B.C. 323 
A.D. I 



or arms, or money, or ships, as it hath seemed good to the Romans ; 
and they shall observe their orders without deceit. According to 
these articles did the Romans covenant with the people of the Jews. 
And if after this one party or the other shall have a mind to add to 
these articles, or take away anything, they may do it at their pleasure ; 
and whatsoever they shall add or take away shall be ratified. More- 
over, concerning the evils that Demetrius the king hath done against 
them, we have written to him, saying : Why hast thou made thy yoke 
heavy upon our friends and allies the Jews ? If, therefore, they 
come again to us complaining of thee, we will do them justice, and 
will make war against thee by sea and land. 

14. This covenant was afterwards renewed by Jonathan, and 
lasted till Judea, like other nations, was swallowed up in the all- 
absorbing power of Rome. About forty years before Christ, Herod 
the Idumean was confirmed King of the Jews by the Roman 
Senate, and afterwards acknowledged by the Jewish Sanhedrim, 
Then came the time for the words of the patriarch Jacob to be ful- 
filled : " The sceptre shall not be taken away from Juda, nor a ruler 
from his thigh, till He come that is to be sent, and He shall be 
the expectation of nations" (Gen. xlix. 10). 

QUESTIONS. 

Describe the entry of Alexander into Jerusalem ? Give the history of Juda 
under Antiochus Epiphanes? Describe the martyrdom of Eleazar and the 
Machabees? Relate the battles and victories of Judas Machabeus and his 
brethren? When was the prophecy of the patriarch Jacob fulfilled? 




D. & J. SAOUER 8l COu N. Yi 



SECTION VI. 



CHRIST'S LIFE TO HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY, FROM MATTHEW, 
MARK, JOHN, AND LUKE. 




CHAPTER XXXVI. 

THE THREE REVELATIONS OF GOD. 

OD made three revelations to mankind. 
He gave the light of reason to Adam 
and his posterity, the illumination of 
the Law and the Prophets to the Jewish 
nation, and the fulness of truth and 
grace in Jesus Christ and the Catholic 
Church to the human race. Before I 
proceed to write down from the histo- 
rians of the New Testament the history 
of Christ and the birth of the Catholic 
Church, that is, from Matthew, Mark, John, and Luke, I shall ex- 
plain the relations existing between these three lights which God has 
sent into the world. 

2. The Catholic Church is the living representative of God, 
guided by God, and speaking with a living voice through all ages 
the fulness of God's revelation to the human race. The law of 
reason reigned from Adam to Moses; from Moses to Christ, God 
ruled His chosen people according to the Law and the Prophets; 
from Christ to the end of the world, God governs the human family 
by His only-begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and His represent- 
ative in teaching and authority, the Catholic Church. Under the 
law of reason, God looked upon the human race as an aggregate of 
families, under the Jewish dispensation as an aggregate of nations, 



256 The Three Revelations of God, 

and under Christian revelation God regards the human race as a 
universal empire whose head is Jesus Christ. 

3. Within the first period, mankind possessed, the knowledge of 
truth, honesty, justice, and humanity as revealed by the innate hght 
of reason, together with traditions, received from Adam, concerning the 
unity of God, the existence of angels, the creation of the world, the 
origin and fall of man, the future state of the soul, and laws relating 
to sacrifice and the duties of family life. From this patriarchal era, 
the great heathen nations of Asia and Africa have their source, and 
to it they are indebted for whatever truth their obscure and con- 
fused traditions may contain. 

4. The Mosaic dispensation had a twofold object: first, toper- 
feet the Abrahamitic covenant, and, next, to foreshadow the revela- 
tion of Christ. Embodying in iteelf the laws of reason and tradi- 
tions which had been known to the Patriarchs, the law of Moses 
was given to God's chosen people on their way to take possession of 
the Promised Land. It was further in aftertimes interpreted, deve- 
loped, and explained by a series of prophets down to five hundred 
years before Christ. It is customary to divide the Law of Moses 
into moral, j-udicial, and ceremonial codes. Of these the judicial 
and ceremonial codes were abrogated by the New Dispensation ; and 
Christ's Sermon on the Mount imparted to the moral laws a binding 
power not only in outward acts, but inwardly and in conscience. The 
government of the Jewish nation was a theocracy, of which Jehovah, 
the God of Israel, was the supreme political and religious ruler. 
Jewish kings had the power of enforcing compulsory service, of de- 
claring war, of receiving tithes by taxation, of possessing domain 
lands, flocks, and herds, of receiving bond service from foreigners 
and tributes from foreign kings, and, lastly, of carrying on com- 
merce. Their powers were limited by law, and they were especially 
forbidden to be tyrannical or despotic. The great Sanhedrim, con- 
sisting of seventy members who were priests, scribes, and elders, and 
whose president was the high-priest, if duly qualified, exercised con- 
trolling powers over both the high-priest and the king. Each city 
had a local Sanhedrim of twenty-three members, and Jerusalem, in 



The Three Revelations of God. 257 

addition to the Great Sanhedrim, had two such local bodies. Judges, 
who were generally Levites, as best instructed in the Law, were 
elected by the people, and attended to ordinary matters. An appeal 
might be made from their decisions to the priests or to a higher 
jurisdiction. The powers of Hebrew fathers, husbands, and masters 
were very great, and sanctioned by the Law as very sacred. No 
Jew might be a slave longer than the seventh or Sabbatical year, 
and in any case should be freed at the Jubilee, every fiftieth year. 
Slaves of foreign blood might be held and inherited for ever, and it 
was commanded that fugitives should not be given up. Offences 
against God, such as idolatry, witchcraft, false prophecy, and blas- 
pheming, were punishable with death by stoning. In like manner, 
those guilty of crimes against man, such as murder, adultery, dis- 
obedience to parents, and to priests as judges, were condemned to 
dealji. The Law of Moses likewise enjoined purifications, penances, 
and marked out certain persons, places, things, actions, times, and 
offices as holy. The whole Hebrew people was considered holy as 
being the children of God, but in an especial manner the holiness, 
qualifications, rights, and authority of priests and Levites are men- 
tioned in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Jerusalem, and especially 
that portion of it occupied by the temple, was considered the holy 
or sacred place, and enjoyed an immense number of privileges, im- 
munities, and imprescriptable rights. Among holy things may be 
named the articles for priestly functions, and, in particular, the laver, 
the altars, the veil, and the Ark with the Tabernacle. Sacrifices, 
whether ordinary, such as the whole Burnt-Offering, the Meat Offering, 
the Peace Offering, and the Sin Offering, or extraordinary, such as at 
the Consecration of Priests, the Purification of Women, the Cleans- 
ing of Lepers, the Great Day of Atonement, and the great festivals, 
deserve to be remembered as holy or sacred actions. The first year 
after every seventh Sabbatical year was the year of jubilee, and the 
most sacred of the times of the Jews. On the Day of Atonement, 
trumpets were blown throughout the land proclaiming universal 
liberty. Hebrew bondmen were set free, every Israelite returned 
to his possessions and his family, and there was a renewal of society 



258 The Three Revelations of God. 

as near as might be approached according to the distribution of the 
Promised Land to the fathers and tribes of the Jewish nation. The 
Sabbath, the Sabbatical Year, the Passover, the Feast of Weeks, 
the Feast of Tabernacles, the Feast of Trumpets, and the Day of 
Atonement, were holy times. Three offices were reverenced as holy, 
and their incumbents anointed, namely, the office of priest, the office 
of prophet, and the office of king. The priest, prophet, and king 
of the Jews were figures of Christ, as the Jewish nation was a figure 
of the Catholic Church. 

5. Writers have used different forms of expression to show the 
relations of the Jewish to the Catholic Church. Israel stands to 
Catholicity as a herald to a conqueror, as a handmaid to a mistress, 
as a slave to a free woman, as an heiress expectant to an heiress in 
possession of an inheritance. Judaism was but a shadow and an 
antitype of Christianity. Judaism was a rehgion of fear and accord- 
ing to the letter, of outward observances, and of earthly punishment 
or reward ; Christianity is a religion of love, of the spirit, and with 
eternal and unfading promises of hope and bliss. Judaism was a 
tenement without a master, a betrothed without a spouse j Catholi- 
city is an everlasting mansion for the human race, and the spouse of 
the Lord Jesus Christ, who is ever present. Judaism was circum- 
scribed to a certain territory, confined to one nation, destined to die 
at a certain age, and laden down with alienation from the human 
family, observances, and traditions ; the mission of the CathoHc 
Church is to the whole earth, its members are the nations of the human 
race, and its action and destiny are to close only at the consumma- 
tion of the world. With the appearance of Christ and the inaugura- 
tion of Catholicity, the mission of the Jewish Church was ended, 
and it was foreordained soon to die. 

6. The human family and the Hebrew nation had the promise of 
a Redeemer and a new and everlasting kingdom revealed to them 
to take place in the last days. Revelation was at first obscure and 
indistinct, but became clearer and clearer as the time of fulfilment 
approached. The era is marked by the patriarch Jacob when he 
says to Juda (Gen. xlix. v. 10) : "The sceptre shall not be taken 



The Three Revelations of God. 259 

from Juda, nor a ruler from his thigh, till He come that is to be sent, 
and He shall be the expectation of nations." The sceptre passed 
from the Jewish nation St the end of the administration of the 
IMachabees, and in Herod the Idumean this prophecy was fulfilled. 
The prophet Daniel announces the foundation of the new kingdom 
and determines the time as follows (ch. ix. v. 24) : " Seventy weeks 
are shortened upon thy people and thy holy city, that transgression 
may be finished, and sin may have an end, and iniquity may be 
abolished, and everlasting justice may be brought, and vision and 
prophecy may be fulfilled, and the Saint of saints may be anointed. 
Know you, therefore, and take notice, that from the going forth of 
the word to build up Jerusalem again unto Christ the prince, there 
shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks ; and the street shall be 
built again, and the walls in troublesome times. And after sixty-two 
weeks, Christ shall be slain, and the people that shall deny Him shall 
not be His. And a people with their leader that shall come shall de- 
stroy the city and the sanctuary ; and the end thereof shall be waste, 
and after the end of the war the appointed desolation. And He 
shall confirm the covenant with many in one week, and in the half 
of the week the victim and the sacrifice shall fail ; and there shall be 
in the temple the abomination of desolation, and the desolation shall 
continue even to the consummation and to the end." The going 
forth of the word took place (Esdras, b. 2, c. i. v. i) in the twentieth 
year of the reign of Artaxerxes, when Nehemias was empowered to 
rebuild Jerusalem — sixty-nine weeks of years from the baptism of 
Christ by John the Baptist. Christ was slain within the last week, 
and, after three years and a half preaching, abolished by His death 
the law and the sacrifices, put an end to sin, transgression, and 
iniquity, was anointed Saint of saints, and confirmed the New 
Covenant with the human race. The universality of Christ's king- 
dom is foretold in almost the same words by the prophets Micheas, 
c. iv., and Isaias, c; ii. : " And in the last days the mountain of the 
house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of the mountains, and 
it shall be exalted above the hills ; and all nations shall flow unto it." 
The Saviour's birthplace, life, manner of death, and the very words 



26o The Three Revelations of God. 

of insult spoken against Him, are pointed out elsewhere in prophecy. 
The Sibyls announced His coming to heathen nations. 

7. When the fulness of time announcea in prophecy arrived, and 
it pleased God to make known the mystery which had been hidden 
from ages and generations, the whole civilized world was under the 
sceptre of Rome. The power, wealth, and vices of Assyria had 
flowed into the land of the Medes and Persians ; thence Asiatic cor- 
ruption had deluged Greece. From Asia, Greece, Africa, and 
Northern and Western Europe, the filth, idolatries, and abomina- 
tions of mankind flowed towards Rome as a common reservoir. 
Cesar, with a servile senate, and a network of consuls, pretors, and 
prefects, held the human race in chains. Asia brought her wealth. 
Africa her produce. Western Europe her sons, and Greece her phi- 
losophy, to ofler sacrifice at the proud capital of Rome. Away on 
the eastern shore of the Levant, in a despised province of a despised 
country and race — in Nazareth of Galilee — God began to fulfil His 
last covenant with man by the incarnation and birth of His only-be- 
gotten Son, precisely four thousand years after the creation of Adam. 

8. From Nazareth of Galilee what changes were to come ! The 
wall of separation which stood between the Jews and Gentiles was 
to be broken down ; the commandments, judgments, ceremonials, 
sacrifices, traditions, genealogies, and observances of God's people 
were to be superseded by a higher and holier religion ; the concen- 
trated power, wealth, vice, and intelligence of the world were to be 
fought and conquered in the Roman Empire. 

9. Besides, Christianity was a pure and heavenly creed, above all 
pride of understanding, and opposed to the systems and passions of 
the age. Confucius, Plato, and Cicero arrived at a faint knowledge 
of the unity of God, and caught a distant and scarcely perceptible 
glimpse of the Trinity of Persons; but mankind "changed the glory 
of the incorruptible God into the likeness of the image of a corrup- 
tible man, and of birds, and of four-footed beasts, and of creep- 
ing things " (Ep. to Rom., c. i. v. 23). How was the world to 
beUeve that there was but one God ? that there were three persons 
in God ? that the Second Person became man ? that man was 



The Three Revelations of God, 261 

created with an immortal soul made to the image and likeness of 
God ? that man fell and was to be redeemed by the Son of God ? 
that the whole human race should rise again from the dead ? 
Then, a sensual world, professing the doctrines of Epicurus, w^s to 
be called on to renounce and despise the pleasures of this life. The 
carnal man should learn not even to sin in thought ; the rapacious 
man, not even to covet another's property; the vengeful man, not 
even to entertain feelings of dislike. The body and its appetites 
should be subjected to the will, the will and its passions to reason, 
and the whole man to law as revealed by Jesus Christ. Every 
thought, word, and act should be in the Lord Jesus Christ, and for 
the love of God. Again, how was mankind to acknowledge the 
incomprehensible actions of Christ in the sacraments and sacrifice ? 
How was mankind to be elevated to the subhme doctrines of faith, 
of charity, and of hope ? How was mankind to be gathered into 
one society where all individuals would be equal, where the dignity 
of woman would be respected, where Hfe would be protected, where 
law, and truth, and right would reign ? How was the jurisdiction 
of a line of pontiffs, of a body of bishops, of an army of priests, to be 
extended over throne, iand court, and battle-field, over creeds and 
races, over cities, and families, and individuals ? Such were the 
behefs, laws, practices, and facts which Christianity had to maintain, 
uphold, and defend. It has overthrown the pretensions of the Jew, 
the philosophy of the Greek, and the power of the Roman. With- 
out the Catholic Church, the revelation of Jesus Christ were 
merely a day succeeded by night ; but with the Catholic Church it 
is an unending day to the consummation of the world, and is in 
truth the tabernacle which God has set in the sun. 

QUESTIONS. 

Which are the three laws that have been given to mankind ? What 
were the relations of the human family to God under each of them? What 
truths were known to men under the law of reason? What is meant by 
the Mosaic Dispensation, and how is it usually divided ? What were the 
powers of a Jewish king? What was the Sanhedrim? Did slaver}' exist 
among the Hebrews? Mention some crimes visited with capital punish- 




i ^ 






The Incarnation of Jesus Christ, 263 

ment? Tell what you know about persons, places, things, actions, times, 
and offices considered holy among the Hebrews? What were the relations 
of the Jewish to the Catholic Church? Mention and explain some prophe- 
cies in the Jewish Church relative to the era, time, and character of the last 
Dispensation? What was the condition of the world when God made 
known the last Dispensation ? What changes were to come from Chris- 
tianity? Describe in your own words what truths, principles, and facts 
Christianity had to uphold against Jews and Gentiles ? 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 




THE INCARNATION, BIRTH, CIRCUMCISION, AND PRESENTATION OF 
JESUS CHRIST. 

N the beginning, before created existence, and change, 
and motion, and time, God, as the prophet says, inha- 
bited eternity. There were three persons, the Father, 
the Word, and the Holy Ghost, with one and the same 
divine nature. We learn from St. John that the Word, or Second 
Person of the Trinity, was continuing to be in the beginning of time, 
and, therefore, existing in eternity, that is, eternal ; that the Word was 
with God, and, therefore, distinct from God; that the Word was 
God, and, therefore, divine. The Evangelist, further, states, both 
positively and negatively, that all things have received their exist- 
ence from the Word, that in the Word was life, and that from the 
Word was the light of men. Now, this eternal, personal, divine 
being called the Word, the Lord of creation, life, and intelligence, 
was made flesh, and dwelt amongst men, and manifested the glory 
of the oniy-begotten of the Father in fulness of grace and of truth. 
The name of the Incarnate W^ord is Jesus Christ, or the Anointed 
Saviour. 

2. The generation of Jesus Christ according to the flesh 
is thus given by St. Matthew : Abraham begot Isaac ; Isaac 
begot Jacob; Jacob begot Judas and his brethren; Judas begot 
Phares and Zara of Thamar ; Phares begot Esron ; Esron begot 



The Incarnation of Jesus Christ. 265 

Aram ; Aram begot Aminadab ; Aminadab begot Naasson ; Naasson 
begot Salmon ; Salmon begot Booz of Rahab ; Booz begot Obed 
of Ruth ; Obed begot Jesse ; Jesse begot David the kmg; David the 
king begot Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias; Solomon 
begot Roboam; Roboam begot Abias; Abias begot Asa; Asa 
begot Josaphat; Josaphat begot Joram; Joram begot Ozias; Ozias 
begot Joatham ; Joatham begot Achaz; Achaz begot Ezechias; 
Ezechias begot Manasses; Manasses begot Anion; Anion begot 
Josias ; Josias begot Jechonias and his brethren in the transmigra- 
tion of Babylon ; after the transmigration of Babylon, Jechonias 
begot Salathiel ; Salathiel begot Zorobabel ; Zorobabel begot Abiud ; 
Abiud begot Eliacim; Eliacim begot Azor; Azor begot Sadoc; 
Sadoc begot Achim ; Achim begot Eliud ; Eliud begot Eleazar ; 
Eleazar begot Mathan; Mathan begot Jacob; Jacob begot Joseph, 
the husband of Mary, of vi^hom was born Jesus, who is called 
Christ. St. Luke gives Christ's generation according to the Law: 
And Jesus was beginning about the age of thirty years, being, as it 
was supposed, the Son of Joseph, who was of HeH, who was of 
Mathat, who was of Levi, who was of Meichi, who was of Janne, 
who was of Joseph, who was of Mathathias, who was of Amos, who 
was of Nahum, who was of Hesli, who was of Nagge, who was of 
Mahath, who was of Mathathias, who was of Semei, who was of 
Joseph, who was of Juda, who was of Joanna, who was of Resa, 
who was of Zorobabel, who was of Salathiel, who was of Neri, who 
was of Meichi, who was of Addi, who was of Cosan, who was of 
Elmadan, who was of Her, who was of Jesus, who was of Eliezer, 
who was of Jorim, who was of Mathat, who was of Levi, who was 
of Simeon, who was of Judas, who was of Joseph, who was of Jona, 
who was of Eliakim, who was of Melea, who was of Menna, who 
was of Mathatha, who was of Nathan, who was of David, who was 
of Jesse, who was of Obed, who was of Booz, who was of Salmon, 
who was of Naasson, who was of Aminadab, who was of Aram, who 
was of Esron, who was of Phares, who was of Juda, who was 
of Jacob, who was of Isaac, who was of Abraham, who was of 
Thare, who was of Nachor, who was of Sarug, who was of Ragau, 



The Incarnation of Jesus Clmst, 267 

who was of Phaleg, who was of Heber, who was of Sale, who was 
of Caman, who was of Araphaxad, who was of Sem, who was 
of Noe, who was of Lamech, who was of Mathusale, who was of 
Henoch, who was , of Jared, who was of Malaleel, who was of 
Cainan, who was of Henos, who was of Seth, who was of Adam, 
who was of God. 

3. To announce the coming of the Word into the world, God sent 
Jolin tlie Baptiit, whom the Scripture calls the angel of the Lord. 
John, the son of Zachary, a priest, and Elizabeth of the daughters of 
Aaron, was born six months before Jesus Christ. An angel of 
God appeared to Zachary while offering incense, and declared that 
Elizabeth, though beyond the age of child-bearing, should conceive 
a son, that his name would be John, that he would be sanctified in 
his mother's womb, that he would be a Nazarite, that he would be 
endowed with the spirit and power of Elias, and that he would be 
the Precursor of Jesus Christ. In punishment of incredulity, 
Zachary became dumb from the day of promise to the circumcision 
of John the Baptist in the temple. After Elizabeth became preg- 
nant, according to the word of the angel, she retired for privacy to 
the hilly country. 

4. In the sixth month after the angel had appeared to Zachary in 
the temple, the archangel Gabriel was sent by God to the Virgin 
Mary, of the town of Nazareth in Galilee, the spouse of Joseph, 
and the cousin of Elizabeth. The archangel declared that Mary 
was full of grace, that the Lord was with her, that she was blessed 
amongst women, that the power of the Holy Spirit should overshadow 
her, and a son be born of her, and his name would be Jesus. The 
archangel described' Jesus as the Son of the Most High, as the Son 
of God, as the Holy and the Great, unto whom the Lord God would 
give the throne of David, His father, and who was to reign in the 
nouse of Jacob for ever. Having revealed to Mary the pregnancy 
of her cousin Elizabeth, and having received her assent to become 
the mother of Jesus, the archangel Gabriel departed. The two 
cousins, Mary and Elizabeth, met in the hilly country of Juda, and 
John the Baptist performed the first act of homage to the Incarnate 







0.-E 



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•^3 8 



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The Incarnation of Jesus Christ. 269 

Word by jumping in his iiiotlier's womb in the presence of Mary. 
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost ; and she cried out with a 
loud voice, and said : Blessed art thou among women, and blessed 
is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother 
of my Lord should come to me ? For behold, as soon as the voice 
of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped 
for joy ; and blessed art thou that hast believed, because those 
things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord. 
And Mary said : My soul doth magnify the Lord ; and my spirit 
hath rejoiced in God my Saviour, because He hath regarded the 
humility of His handmaid; for behold from henceforth all genera- 
tions shall call me blessed ; because He that is mighty hath done 
great things to me; and holy is His name. And His mercy is from 
generation unto generations, to them that fear Him, He hath 
showed might in His arm ; He hath scattered the proud in the con- 
ceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, 
and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with 
good things, and the rich He hath sent empty away. He hath 
received Israel His servant, being mindful of His mercy. As He 
spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever. 

5. At the circumcision of John the Baptist, Zachary miraculously 
recovered his voice, and praised the Lord for His goodness and 
mercy in this canticle : Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, because 
He hath visited and wrought the redemption of His people, and 
hath raised up an horn of salvation to us in the house of David His 
servant. As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, who 
are from the beginning; salvation from our enemies, and from the 
hand of "all that hate us;' to perform mercy to our fathers, and to 
remember His holy testament; the oath which He swore to Abra- 
ham our father, that He would grant to us ; that, being delivered 
from the hand of our enemies, we may serve Him without fear, in 
holiness and justice before Him, all our days. And thou, child, 
shalt be called the prophet of the Highest ; for thou shalt go before 
the face of the Lord to prepare His ways ; to give knowledge of sal- 
vation to His people, unto the remission of their sins ; through the 



The Iiicariiation of Jesus Christ 271 

bowels of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient, from on high, 
hath visited us ; to enHghten them that sit in darkness, and in the 
shadow of death ; to direct our feet into the way of peace. John 
grew up, and retired into the wild country west of the Dead Sea, 
known as '•' the desert," to prepare the way of the Lord. 

6. When Joseph learned that Mary was with child, he was minded 
to put her away, but was dissuaded by a vision from God, and re- 
ceived a revelation of the name, the mission, and the dignity of 
Mary's offspring. As the time of her delivery drew nigh, Cesar 
Augustus decreed that a census of the whole world should be taken. 
While Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem of Juda to be enrolled 
under Cyrinus, the Roman governor, the days of the Virgin to bring 
forth were accomplished, and, without loss of virginity, she miracu- 
lously gave birth to Jesus, and laid Him in a manger. An angel 
of the Lord appeared to shepherds that were keeping the night- 
watches over their flocks, and announced to them, amid shining 
brightness and a multitude of heavenly voices praising God, that a 
Saviour, who was Christ the Lord, was born to them in the city of 
David. The shepherds passed over to Bethlehem, and found Joseph 
and Mary with an infant wrapt in swaddling-clothes, and laid in a 
manger, as had been told them by the angel. After eight days, the 
child was circumcised, and received the name Jesus; and, after the 
days of Mary's purificanon according to the law of Moses, He was 
presented, with proper offerings, in the temple. There it was re- 
vealed to the old man, Simeon, and the prophetess, Anna, that there 
was come the Light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the Glory 
of the people of Israel. The words of Simeon which he spoke 
of Christ are : Now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, accord- 
ing to Thy word, in peace; because my eyes have seen Thy salva- 
tion, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples ; a 
light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people 
Israel. And to Mary, the mother, he said : Behold this Child is set 
for the fall and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign 
which shall be contradicted ; and Thy own soul a sword shall pierce, 
thatout of many hearts thoughts may be revealed. 




IS 



%i 



li 









A.D.i-3o[ The Life of JesMs Christ. 273 

QUESTIONS. 

Describe the Word? Give the generation of Jesus Christ according to 
nature, and according to the Law? Give the circumstances connected with 
the births of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ? Give the events down to 
His presentation in thft temple ? What did Simeon say ? 




CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST TO HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY. A.D. I-30. 

T is difificLiit to determine the precise time of the coming 
of the Magi, but their advent is commonly set within 
two years after the birth of Christ. Led by a myste- 
rious star from the East, they came to adore the new- 
born King of the Jews, and enquired of Herod : Where is He that 
is born Kingof the Jews ? A feehng had spread, not only among the 
Jews, but among outside nations, that the fulfilment of the Messianic 
prophecies was at hand. This feeling, together with the advent of 
strange Eastern personages, disturbed the corrupt and hypocritical 
Herod, and all Jerusalem with him. The Sanhedrim answered 
enquiries of the Magi by naming Bethlehem as the birthplace of 
Christ the Messias. The star which guided them from the East 
conducted them to the house where Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were, 
and a vision from the Lord directed them by what route they should 
return to their own country. The Magi are thus described by the 
Venerable Bede : " The first is said to be Melchior, a gray old 
man with flowing hair and beard, who offered gold to the Lord as to 
a king. The second, a ruddy, beardless youth, called Caspar, 
honored God with frankincense as an oblation worthy of God. The 
third was swarthy, and had a face covered all over with beard. He 
was called Beltassar, and professed by an offering of myrrh that the 
Son of Man should die." 

2. After they departed, an angel of the Lord appeared in 
sleep to Joseph, saying : Arise, and take the Child and His mother, 
and fly into Egypt, and be there until I tell thee. It will come to 




I 



A.D. i-3o[ The Life of Jesus Christ. 275 

pass that Herod will seek to destroy the Child. Joseph arose, and, 
taking the Child with His mother, by night retired jnto Egyp.t. There 
he remained until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which 
the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying : Out of Egypt have I 
called my Son. 

3. Then Herod, perceiving that he was deluded by the Wisemen, 
was exceedingly angry, and, sending, killed all the men-children that 
were in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years 
old and under, according to the time which he had diligently en- 
quired of the Wisemen. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken 
by Jeremias the prophet, saying: A voice in Rama was heard, 
lamentation and great mourning: Rachel bewailing her children, and 
would not be comforted, because they are not. But when Herod 
was dead, behold an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph 
in Egypt, saying : Arise, and take the Child and His mother, and go 
into the land of Israel, for they are dead that sought the life of the 
Child. Joseph arose, and took the Child and His mother, and came 
into the land of Israel. But hearing that Archelaus reigned in 
Judea in the room of Herod his father, he was afraid to go thither; 
and, being warned in sleep, retired into the quarters of Galilee. And 
coming, he dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled 
which Avas said by the prophets: That He shall be called a Nazarite. 

4. Jesus Christ, as a child, grew and became strong, full of wis- 
dom, and the grace of God was in Him. His parents went every 
year to Jerusalem at the solemn feast of the Pasch. When He was 
twelve years old, they returned, the Child Jesus remaining in Jeru- 
salem, and His parents knew it not. And thinking that He was in their 
company, they came a day's journey, and sought Him among their 
kinsfolk and acquaintance. Not finding Him, they returned into 
Jerusalem, seeking Him. And it came to pass that after three days 
they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, 
hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard Him 
were astonished at His wisdom and His answers. And seeing Him, 
they wondered. And His mother said to Him : Son, why hast 
Thou done so to us ? behold Thy father and I have sought Thee 




I J^^ 






« 8 






A.D. i-3o[ The Life of J esiis Christ. 277 

sorrowing. And He said to them : How is it that you sought Me ? 
Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business ? 
Jesus returned to Nazareth, and was subject to them, and advanced 
in wisdom and age, and grace with God and men. 

5. Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from the Jordan, 
and was lead by the Spirit into the desert for the space of forty days, 
and was tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing in those days ; 
and when they were ended, He was hungry. The devil said to 
Him : If Thou be the Son of God, say to this stone that it be made 
bread. Jesus answered him : It is written that man liveth not by 
bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil led Him 
into a high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the 
world in a moment of time, and he said to Him : To Thee will I 
give all this power and the glory of them ; for to me they are de- 
livered, and to whom I will I give them. If Thou therefore wih 
adore before me, all shall be thine. Jesus, answering, said to him : It 
is written : Thou shalt adore the Lord thy God, and Him only 
shalt thou serve. And he brought Him to Jerusalem, and set Him 
on a pinnacle of the temple, and he said to Him : If Thou be the Son 
of God, cast thyself from hence. For it is written that He hath 
given His angels charge over Thee, that they keep Thee ; and that 
in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest perhaps Thou dash Thy 
foot against a stone. Jesus, answering, said to him: It is said: 
Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And all the temptation 
being ended, the devil departed from Him. 

6. In the thirtieth year of his age, Jesus went from Nazareth of 
Galilee, and was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan. John 
coming up out of the water saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit 
as a dove descending and remaining on Him. And there came a 
voice from heaven : "Thou art My beloved Son, in Thee I am well 
pleased." 

7. The manifold offices of Jesus Christ are well marked by His 
scriptural names, and the names are well grouped by a heterodox 
divine : His names and titles in Scripture are said to be two hundred 
in number, and all of them significant and important. Every name 







8 ' 



•It 
« -v. 



-3°, 



The Life of Jesus Christ, 279 



He bears is an ointment poured fortli. His lips drop as the honey- 
comb; honey and milk are under His tongue ; and the smell of His 
garments is like the smell of frankincense. His people sit under His 
shadow with great delight, and His fruit is sweet to their taste. To 
them He is altogether lovely. To them He is an advocate, the angel 
of the covenant, the author and finisher of faith, as the apple-tree 
among the trees of the wood, the beloved, the shepherd and bishop 
of souls, the bread of life, the bundle of myrrh, the bridegroom, the 
bright and morning star, and the brightness of the Father's glory. 
He is their creator, captain, counsellor, covenant, corner-stone, 
covert from the tempest, cluster of camphire, and the chiefest among 
ten thousand. He is to them as the dew, the door into the fold, a 
diadem, a daysman, a day-star, a deliverer, and the desire of all 
nations, ranks, and generations of pious men. In their eyes. He is the 
express image of God, the elect, Emmanuel, the everlasting Father, 
and eternal life. He is a fountain of living water to thirsty souls, of 
joy to troubled ones, of life to dying ones. He is the foundation on 
which his people with safety build their hopes of heaven. He is the 
father of eternity, the fir-tree under whose shadow gaints rejoice, 
the first and last, the first-fruits, the first-born among many brethren, 
and the first-begotten from the dead. To His chosen He is as the 
most fine gold, a guide, a governor, a glorious Lord, God, the true 
God over all gods, blessed for ever. He is head of the church, the 
help, the hope, the husband, the heritage, the high-priest, the habi- 
tation of His people. He is the horn of their salvation. He rides 
upon the heavens by His name Jah. He is the Jehovah of armies, 
the inheritance, judge, and king of His people. He is their light, 
their Hfe, their law-giver, their atoning lamb, the lily of the valley, 
the lion of the tribe of Juda. He is the man Christ Jesus, the 
master, the mediator, the minister of the sanctuary which the Lord 
pitched and not man. He is the mighty God of Isaias, the morning- 
star of John, the Michael of Daniel, the Melchisedech of David and 
Paul, and \\\(\ Messias of all the propliets. He is the only-begotten of 
the Father, r ' of grace and truth. He is both the root and the off- 
spring of David. He is both the peace, the prince, the prophet, the 



28o Ptiblic Life of John the Baptist, |a.d. 29-30 

purifier, the potentate, the propitiation, the physician, the plant of 
renown, the power of God, the passover of all saints. He is a 
polished shaft in the quiver of God. He is the rock, the refuge, the 
ruler, the ransom, the refiner, the redeemer, the righteousness and 
the resurrection of all humble souls. He is the rose of Sharon. He 
is the seed of the woman, the seed of Abraham, the seed of David 
the Son of God, the son of man, the strength, the shield, the surety, 
the shepherd, the Silo, the sacrifice, the sanctuary, the salvation, 
the sanctification, and the sun of righteousness of all believers. He 
is the truth, the treasure, the teacher,, the temple, the tree of life, the 
great testator of His Church. He is the way, the well of salvation, 
the Word of God, the wisdom of God, the faithful witness, the 
Wonderful. 

QUESTIONS. 

Give the history of the Magi ? Describe the flight into Egypt? Describe 
the martyrdom of the innocents? Tell the story of Christ's being lost in 
the temple? Describe the temptation of Christ? Describe the baptism of 
Christ? Give the manifold Scriptural titles of Jesus Christ? 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 




THE PUBLIC LIFE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. A.D. 29 30. 

OHN the Baptist, the cousin and Precursor of Jesus 
Christ, led an austere and sequestered life in the lonely 
wilderness of Judea, west of the Dead Sea.. His food 
was locusts and wild honey. He was a Nazarite in 
food, and more than a Nazarite in hfe and dress. His garments, 
which were made of camels' hair, were cinctured with a leathern 
girdle. 

2. Now, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cesar, 
Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of 
Galilee, and Philip his brother tetrarch of Iturea and the country of 
Trachonitis, and Lysanius tetrarch of Abilina, under the high-priests 
Annas and Caiphas, the word of the Lord was made unto John, the 



A.D. 29-3o[ Public Life of John the Baptist. 281 

son of Zachary, in the desert. And he came into all the country 
about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of penance for the remission 
of sins, as it was written in the Book of the Sayings of Isaias the 
Prophet : A voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the 
way of the Lord, make straight His paths, every valley shall be 
filled, every mountain and hill shall be brought low, the crooked 
shall be made straight, the rough ways plain, and all flesh shall see 
the salvation of God. 

3. The sanctity, the austerity, and the loneliness of John the 
Baptist's life drew vast multitudes from the towns and cities of the 
Jewish nation. These confessed their sins, and were baptized by 
John in the Jordan. To him came Sadducees and Pharisees, whom, 
when they sought baptism, John addressed thus : Ye brood of vipers, 
who hath showed you to flee from the wrath to come ? Bring forth, 
therefore, fruit worthy of penance, and think not to say within your- 
selves. We have Abraham for our father ; for I tell you that God is 
able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham. For now the 
axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree, therefore, that doth 
not yield good fruit, shall be cut down, and cast into the fire. I, 
indeed, baptize you in water unto penance; but He tlxat shall come 
after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. 
He shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost and fire ; whose fan is in His 
hand; and He will thoroughly cleanse His floor, and gather His 
wheat into the barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable 
fire. To the people asking : What shall we do ? he answered : He 
that hath two coats, let him give to him that hath none ; and he that 
hath meat, let him do in like manner. The PubHcans also came to 
be baptized, and said to him : Master, what shall we do ? But he 
said to them : Do nothing more than that which is appointed you. 
And the soldiers also asked him, saying : And what shall we do ? 
He said to them : Do violence to no man, neither calumniate any 
man, and be content with your pay. 

4. The extraordinary mission of John awakened the idea of the 
Messias in the minds of many Jews, and a delegation was sent to 
him from the priests and people of Jerusalem to enquire what it 



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liifi#Mki 



limz 



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A.D. 29-3o[ Public Life of John the Baptist. 283 

might be. Now, this is the testimony of John when the Jews sent 
from Jerusalem priests and Levites to him, to ask him : Who art 
thou ? And he confessed, and did not deny; and he confessed: I 
am not the Christ. And they asked him : What then ? Art thou 
Ehas ? And he said : I am not. Art thou the prophet ? And he 
answered : No. They said, therefore, unto him : Who art thou, that 
we may give an answer to them that sent us ? What sayest thou of 
thyself? He said : I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. 
Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaias. 
They that were sent were of the Pharisees, and they asked him, and 
said to him : Why, then, dost thou baptize if thou be not Christ, nor 
Elias, nor the prophet ? John answered them, saying : I baptize 
with water; but there hath stood one in the midst of you whom you 
know not. The same is He that shall come after me, who is pre- 
ferred before me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to loose. 
These things were done in Bethania beyond the Jordan, where John 
was baptizing. 

5. Among the multitude who came to be baptized was Jesus from 
Galilee ; and, when John saw him coming, he said : Behold the Lamb 
of God, behold Him who taketh away the sin of the world. Thig 
is He of whom I said : After me there cometh a man who is pre- 
ferred before me, because He was before me. And I knew Him not, 
but that He may be made manifest in Israel, therefore am I come 
baptizing with water. John gave testimony, saying : I saw the 
Spirit coming down as a dove from heaven, and He remained upon 
Him. And I knew Him not; but He who sent me to baptize with 
water said to me : He upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descend- 
ing and remaining upon Him, He it is that baptizeth with the Holy 
Ghost. And I saw, and I gave testimony that this is the Son of 
God. 

6. It came to pass that Jesus and His disciples came into Judea, 
abode there, and baptized. John was baptizing in Ennon nearSalim, 
where there was much water. Then there arose a question between 
some of John's disciples and the Jews concerning the purification. 
They, therefore, came to John, saying: Rabbi, He that was with 



284 Public Life of John the Baptist, -Ja.d. 29-30 

thee beyond the Jordan, to whom thou gavest testimony, behold He 
baptizeth, and all men come to Him. John answered, and said : A 
man cannot receive anything unless it be given him from heaven. 
You yourselves do bear me witness that I said: I am not Christ; 
but that I am sent before Him. He that hath the bride is the bride- 
groom ; but the friend of the bridegroom who standeth and heareth 
him rejoiceth with joy because of the bridegroom's voice. This my 
joy, therefore, is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. 
He that cometh from above is above all. He that is of the earth, 
of the earth he is, and of the earth he speaketh. He that cometh 
from heaven is above all. And what He hath seen and heard, that 
He testifieth, and no man receiveth His testimon)'-. He that hath 
received His testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. For He 
whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God : for God doth 
not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loveth the Son ; and 
He hath given all things into His hand. He that believeth in the 
Son hath life everlasting, but he that beheveth not the Son shall not 
see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. 

7. John the Baptist upbraided Herod because he had taken the 
wife of his brother Philip, saying: It is not lawful for thee to have 
thy brother's wife. Now, Herodias, the wife of Philip, laid snares 
for John. John was cast into prison ; and when Jesus had heard 
that John was delivered up. He retired into Galilee. Though He- 
rodias was desirous to put John to death, she could not ; for Herod 
feared John, knowing him to be a just and holy man, and kept 
him, and, when he heard him, did many things; and he heard him 
wilhngly. And when a convenient day was come, Herod made a 
supper for his birthday, for the princes, and tribunes, and chief men 
of Galilee ; and when the daughter of the same Herodias had come 
in, and had danced, and pleased Herod and them that were at table 
with him, the king said to the damsel : Ask of me what thou wilt, 
and I will give it thee. And he swore to her: Whatsoever thou 
shalt ask I will give thee, though it be the half of my kingdom^ 
Who, when she was gone out, said to her mother : What shall I 
ask ? But she said : The head of John the Baptist. And when 



A.D. 29-3o[ Public Life of John the Baptist. 285 

she was come in immediately with haste to the king, she asked, say- 
ing : I will that forthwith thou give me in a dish the head of John 
the Baptist. And the king was struck sad ; yet because of his oath, 
and because of them that were with him at table, he would not dis- 
please her ; but, sending an executioner, he commanded that his 
head should be brought in a dish. And he beheaded him in the 
prison, and brought his head in a dish, and gave it to the damsel, 
and the damsel gave it to her mother. Which his disciples hear- 
ing, came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb. 

8. Thus ended the life of one of the most exalted personages 
whom God has called in His dealings with the human race. Jesus 
Christ declared that a greater man than John the Baptist was never 
born of a woman. As a prophet, he was the last and greatest of all, 
because he pointed out the Messias ; as an envoy of heaven, he stood 
between Moses and Jesus Christ ; as a saint, he was sanctified in 
his mother's womb like Jeremias ; and as a child of Abraham, he was 
a cousin of the Saviour of the world according to the flesh. 

QUESTIONS. 

Describe the life of John the Baptist in the wilderness of Judea? When 
did he preach? What did he announce? Where did he baptize? How- 
did he address the Pharisees and Saddacees? What did he say to the peo- 
ple? What to the Publicans? What to the soldiers? Why did the priests 
and people of Jerusalem send a delegation to John the Baptist? How did 
he answer the delegation? Describe the baptism of Jesus Christ by John 
the Baptist? When the disciples of John and the Jews contended, what 
testimony did John give concerning Jesus? Why was John cast into pri- 
son? What did Jesus then do? Describe the death of John the Baptist? 
What position does John the Baptist hold in the economy of God with the 
human race ? 




2 86 Public Life of Jesus Christ, |a.d. 3<^32 

CHAPTER XL. 

PUBLIC LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST. A.D. 30-32. 

N presenting from the Evangelists the h'fe of Christ, I 
shall separate from the other fmictions of His ministry 
His discourses, parables, miracles, and prophecies. 
His discourses and parables give a conspectus of His 

doctrine, and in His miracles and parables the reader may see the 

foundation on which the New Covenant is built. 

2. After His baptism by John the Baptist, Christ retired into the 
wilderness, and fasted forty days. When He had fasted forty days 
and forty nights, afterwards he was hungry. The tempter coming, 
said to Him : If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones 
be made bread. He answered and said : It is written, Not in 
bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from 
the mouth of God. Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, 
and set Him upon the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him : If 
thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down ; for it is written that 
He hath given His angels charge over Thee, and in their hands shall 
t ley bear Thee up, lest perhaps Thou dash Thy foot against a stone. 
Jesus said to him : It is written, again. Thou shalt not tempt the 
Lord thy God. Again the devil took him up into a very high moun- 
tain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory 
of them ; and said to Him : All these will I give Thee, if, falling 
down. Thou wilt adore me. Then Jesus saith to him : Begone, 
Satan ; for it is written : The Lord thy God shalt thou adore, and 
Him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil left him ; and behold 
angels came and ministered to him. 

3. In the beginning of Christ's ministry, after Jesus was baptized 
by John, there were two of John's disciples who had heard John call 
Jesus the Lamb of God, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus 
turned and saw them following Him, He said to ihem : What seek 
you ? They said to him, Rabbi (which is to say, being interpreted. 
Master), where dwellest Thou ? He saith to them : Come and 




D. & J. SADLIER Ec CO.i N. Y. 



A.D. 30-32^ Public Life of Jesus Christ, 287 

see. They came and saw where He abode, and they stayed with 
him that day; now it was about the tenth hour. Andrew, the 
brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who had heard of John, 
and followed Him. He findeth first his brother Simon, and saith to 
Him : We have found the Messias (which is, being interpreted, the 
Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus, looking upon him, 
said : Thou art Simon, the sonof Jona ; thou shalt be called Cephas, 
which is interpreted Peter. On the following day, He would go forth' 
iiito Galilee, and findeth Philip. And Jesus saith to him : Follow 
me. Now, Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 
Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith to him : We have found Him of 
whom Moses in the Law. and the prophets did write, Jesus the son 
of Joseph of Nazareth. Nathanael said to him : Can anything of 
good come from Nazareth ? Philip saith to him : Come and see. 
Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and He saith of him : Behold 
an Israelite, indeed, in w^hom there is no guile. Nathanael saith to 
him : Whence knowest Thou me ? Jesus answered and said to him : 
Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig-tree, I 
saw thee. Nathanael answered him, and said : Rabbi, thou art the 
Son of God, thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered, and said 
to him : Because I said unto thee I sawest thee under the fig-tree, 
thou believest : greater things than these shalt thou see. He saith 
to him : Amen, amen I say to you, you shall see the heaven opened, 
and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of 
man. 

4. Our Saviour was accustomed to go up to Jerusalem every year 
at the great Jewish festival of the Passover. He is mentioned in 
the Evangelists as having gone to four Passovers during His public 
ministry. After working His first miracle at Cana in Galilee, 
Christ went up to the Pasch, and found in the temple sellers of 
oxen, sheep, and doves, and also changers of money. Then Christ 
made a scourge of little cords, and drove them all out of the temple, 
the sheep also, and the oxen ; and the money of the changers He 
poured out, and the tables He overthrew. And to them that sold 
doves. He said : Take these things hence, and make not the house 



288 Public Life of Jesus Chi^isL ]a.d. 30-32 

of My Father a house of traffic. And His disciples remembered 
that it was written : The zeal of thy house hath eaten Me up. The 
Jews, therefore, answered, and said to Him : What sign dost Thou 
show unto us, seeing Thou dost these things? Jesus answered and 
said to them : Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it 
up. The Jews then said : Six-and-forty years was this temple in 
building, and wilt Thou raise it up in three days? But He spoke 
of the temple of His body. When, therefore. He was risen again 
from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this, and 
they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had said. Now, 
when He was at Jerusalem at the Pasch, upon the festival day, many 
believed in His name, seeing His signs which He did. But Jesus 
did not trust Himself unto them, for that He knew all men, and 
because He needed not ihat any should give testimony of man, for 
He knew what was in man. 

5. The discourse with Nicodemus took place while Jesus was in 
Judea. Now, when He understood that the Pharisees had heard 
that He maketh more disciples and baptizeth more than John 
(though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples). He left 
Judea, and went again into Galilee; and He was of necessity to 
pass through Samaria. He cometh therefore to a city of Samaria 
which is called Sichar, near the land which Jacob gave to his son 
Joseph. At Sichar, by Jacob's well. He held the discourse with 
the woman of Samaria. After two days. He departed thence, and 
went into Galilee ; for Jesus Himself gave testimony that a prophet 
hath no honor in his own country. And when He was come unto 
Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He 
had done at Jerusalem on the festival day, for they also went to the 
festival day. 

6. In Galilee, He came to Nairn, and, at a nobleman's request, 
healed a son that lay sick away at Capharnaum. Thence He 
passed to Nazareth, where He expounded the Scriptures in the 
Synagogue, and explained the nature of His mission. He thence 
passed to Capharnaum on the sea-coast, in the borders of Zabulon 
and of Nephthalim, that it might be fulfilled which was said by 



AD 30-32 [ Public Life of Jesus Christ. 289 

Isaias the prophet : Land of Zabulon and land of Nephthahm, the 
way of the sea beyond the Jordan, GaHlee of the Gentiles, the 
people that sat in darkness hath seen great light; and to them that 
sat in the region of the shadow of death, light is sprung up. From 
that time Jesus began to preach and to say : Do penance, for the 
kingdom of heaven is at hand. Jesus, walking by the Sea of 
Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, 
his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishers) ; and 
He saith to them : Come ye after Me, and I will make you to be 
fishers of men. And they, immediately, leaving their nets, followed 
Him. Going on from thence, He saw other two brethren, 
James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, in a ship, with 
Zebedee, their father, mending their nets ; and He called them. 
And they forthwith left their nets and father, and followed Him. 
Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and 
preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of 
sickness, and every infirmity, among the people. His fame 
went throughout all Syria ; and they presented to Him all sick 
people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and such 
as were possessed by devils, and lunatics, and those that had the 
palsy, and He cured them ; and much people followed Him from 
Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, 
and from beyond the Jordan. During the remainder of the first 
year of Christ's mission, He worked many miracles, as the healing 
of the demoniac and paralytic, the stihing of the storm, the raising 
of the daughter of Jairus to life, and preached many discourses. 
Capharnaum was the centre of His mission. Thence He went forth 
to the sea-side, and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught 
them ; and when He was passing by, He saw Levi, the son of Al- 
pheus, sitting at the receipt of custom, and He saith to him : Fol- 
low Me. And rising up, he followed Him. 

7. After these things, there was a festival day of the Jews, and 
Jesus went up to Jerusalem. This was the commencement of the 
second year of Christ's public ministry. There He healed, on the 
Sabbatli, at the Pool of Bethsaida, a man that had been infirm for 



A.D. 30-32} Public Life of Jesus Christ. 291 

thirty-eight years. After many other miracles wrought and dis- 
courses dehvered by Christ, He chose his twelve apostles. A great 
multitude followed Him ; but He made that twelve should be with 
Him, and that He might send them to preach. He gave them 
power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils. And to Simon He 
gave- the name Peter; and James, the son of Zebedee, and 
John, the brother of James, He named them Boanerges, which 
is The Sons of thunder; and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartho- 
lomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James of Alpheus, and 
Thaddeus, and Simon the Canaanean, and Judas Iscariot, who 
also betrayed Him, were with Him. Soon after, Christ delivered 
His Sermon on the Mount to the multitude. When He had 
raised to life the widow of Naim's son, cured the c'enturion's 
servant, and pronounced woe against the cities of Galilee, it came 
to pass that he was invited to eat by a Pharisee. A woman that 
was in the city, a sinner,, brought an alabaster box of ointment to the 
Pharisee's house, and, standing behind at His feet, began to wash 
His feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head, and 
kibsed Plis feet, and anointed them with the ointment. And the 
Pharisee who had invited him, seeing it, spoke within himself, 
saying : This man, if He were a prophet, would know surely who 
and what manner of woman this is that toucheth Him, that she is a 
sinner. Jesus, answering, said to him: Simon, I have somewhat to 
say to thee. But he said : Master, say it. x-V certain creditor had 
two debtors — the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty -; 
and whereas they had not wherewith to pay, he forgave them 
both. Which, therefore, of the two loveth him most ? Simon, 
answering, said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And 
He said to him : Thou hast judged rightly. And turning to the 
woman. He said unto Simon : Dost thou see this woman ? I entered 
into thy house: thou gavest Me no water for My feet, but slie with 
tears hath washed My feet, and with her hairs hath wiped them. 
Thou gavest Me no kiss ; but she, since she came in, hath not ceased 
to kiss My feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint, but she 
with ointment hath anointed My feet. Wherefore I say to thee : 



292 Public Life of Jesus Christ, Ja-d. 30-32 

Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much. But to 
whom less is forgiven, he loveth less. And He said to her: Thy sins 
are forgiven thee. And they that sat at meat with Him began to 
say within themselves : Who is this that forgiveth sins also ? And 
He said to the woman: Thy faith hath made thee safe; go in 
peace. 

8. Afterwards, Christ made His second circuit round Galilee, and 
spoke many parables. He travelled through the cities and towns, 
preaching and evangelizing the kingdom of God, and the twelve with 
Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and 
infirmities : Mary who is called Magdalen, out of whom seven devils 
were gone forth, and Joanna, the wife of Chusa, Herod's steward, 
and Susanna, and many others who ministered unto Him of their 
substance. 

9. Towards the end of the second year of Christ's ministry. He 
returned into His own country to Nazareth; and when the Sabbath 
was come. He began to teach in the synagogue, and many hearing 
Him were in admiration at His doctrine, saying : How came this 
man by all these things ? and what wisdom is this that is given to 
Him : and such mighty works as are wrought by His hands ? Is not 
this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and 
Joseph, and Jude, and Simon 1 Are not also His sisters here with 
us ? And they were scandalized in regard of Him. Jesus said 
to them : A prophet is not without honor but in his own country, 
and in his own house, and among his own kindred. 

10. From Nazareth Jesus made His third circuit, at the end of the 
second year of His ministry, about the cities and towns of Galilee, 
teaching in the synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the king- 
dom, and healing every disease and every infirmity. And seeing 
the multitudes, He had compassion on them, because they were 
distressed, and lying like sheep that have no shepherd. Then He 
saith to His disciples : The harvest indeed is great, but the laborers 
are few. Pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that He send 
forth laborers into His harvest. 

1 1. Now, before the end of the second year of His mission, Christ 



A.D. 30-32} Public Life of Jesus Christ 293 

having gathered together the twelve, that is, the first, Simon, who is 
called Peter, and Andrew his brother, James the son of Zebedee, 
and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Mat- 
thew the publican, and James the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, 
Simon the Canaanean, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him ; 
them He commissioned, saying: Go ye not into the way of the 
Gentiles, and into the cities of the Samaritans enter ye not ; but go 
ye rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel ; and going, preach, 
saying : The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, raise 
the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils : freely have you 
received, freely give. Do not possess gold, nor silver, nor money in 
your purse; no scrip for your journey, nor two coats, nor shoes, nor 
a staff, for the workman is worthy of his meat. And into whatsoever 
city or town you shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy, and there 
abide till you go thence. When you come into the house, salute it, 
saying : Peace be to this house. And if that house be worthy, your 
peace shall come upon it; but if it be not worthy, your peace shall 
return to you. Whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words, 
going forth out of that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. 
Amen I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom 
and Gomorrha in the day of judgment than for that city. Behold, 
I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as 
serpents and simple as doves. But beware of men, for they will 
deliver you up in councils, and they will scourge you in their syna- 
gogues, and you shall be brought before governors and before kings 
for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles; but when 
they shall deliver you up, take no thought how or what to speak, for 
it shall be given you in that hour what to speak ; for it is not you 
that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you. 
The brother also shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father 
the son, and the children shall rise up against their parents, and shall 
put them to death; and you shall be hated by all men for My 
name's sake ; but he that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be 
saved. And when they shall persecute you in this city, flee into 



294 Public Life of Jesus Christ, |a.d. sc^s* 

another. Amen I say to you, you shall not finish all the cities of 
Israel till the Son of Man come. The disciple is not above the 
master, nor the servant above his lord ; it is enough for the disciple 
that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have 
called the goodman of the house Beelzebub, how much more them 
of his household ? Therefore, fear them not, for nothing is covered 
that shall not be revealed, nor hid that shall not be known. That 
which I tell you in the dark speak ye in the light, and that which 
you hear in the ear preach ye on the house-tops. And fear ye not 
them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul, but rather 
fear him that can destroy both soul and body into hell. Are not 
two sparrows sold for a farthing? and not one of them shall fall on 
the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head 
are all numbered. Fear not, therefore, better are you than many 
sparrows. Every one, therefore, that shall confess Me before men, I 
will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven; but he 
tliat shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My 
Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I came to send peace 
upon earth : I came not to send peace, but the sword ; for I came 
to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against 
her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and 
a man's enemies shall be they* of his own household. He that 
loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and he 
that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 
And he that taketh not up his cross and followeth Me is not worthy 
of Me. He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he that shall lose 
his life for Me shall find it. He that receiveth you receiveth Me, 
and he that receiveth Me receiveth Him that sent Me. He that 
receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive the 
reward of a prophet; and he that receiveth a just man in the name 
of a just man shall receive the reward of a just man; and whoso- 
ever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold 
water only in the name of a disciple, amen I say to you, he shall 
not lose his reward. 



A.D. 32-33 f Public Life of Jesus Christ. 295 

QUESTIONS. 

How is the life of Christ to be presented in this book? Why? Relate 
the public acts of the first, year of Christ's ministr)^? Describe the tempta- 
tion? Describe the calling of Andrew, Simon, and the other apostles? 
How many circuits did Jesus make through Galilee during the first two 
years of His ministry? Describe the cleansing of the temple? Show on 
the map the places visited b)^ Christ in the first year of His ministry? Men- 
tion the public acts of the second year of Christ's public ministry? Which 
are the names of the twelve apostles? Describe the anointing of Christ's 
feet b}'- the woman with the box of alabaster? Give the substance of 
Christ's address to the twelve when they were sent two by two to evangelize 
the Jews? 



CHAPTER XLI. 




PUBLIC LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST (CONTINUED). A.D. 32-33. 

N the approach of the third Pasch, which was the be- 
ginning of the third year of* Christ's public ministry, 
Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is that of 
Tiberias. A great multitude followed Him because of 
tlie miracles He did on them that were diseased. There He fed five 
thousand persons with five barley loaves and two fishes. 

2. When the multitude had eaten, there remained twelve full bas- 
kets of fragments. And forthwith Jesus obliged His disciples 
to go up into the boat, and to go before Him over the water, 
till He dismissed the people. Having dismissed the multi- 
tude. He went up into a mountain alone to pray. And when 
it was evening, He was there alone ; but the boat in the midst 
of the sea was tossed with the waves, for the wind was con- 
trary. In the fourth watch of the night. He came to them 
walking upon the sea. And they, seeing Him walking upon the sea, 
VN-ere troubled, saying : It is an apparition. And they cried out for 
fear. Immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying : Be of good 
heart; it is I, fear ye not. Peter, making answer, said: Lord, 
if it be Thou, bid me come to Thee upon the waters. And He said : 
Come. Peter, going down out of the boat, walked upon the 



296 Public Life of Jesus Christ. ]a.d. 32-33 

water to come to Jesus. But seeing the wind strong, he was afraid ; 
and when he began to sink, he cried out, saying : Lord, save me. 
Immediately Jesus, stretching forth His hand, took held of him, 
and said to him: O thou of htde faith, why didst thou doubt ? And 
when they were come up into the boat, the wind ceased. And they 
that were in the boat came and adored Him, saying : Indeed Thou 
art the Son of God. Having passed the water, they came into the 
country of Genesar. When the men of that place had knowledge 
of Him, they sent into that country, and brought to Him all 
th^t were diseased. And they besought Him that they might touch 
but the hem of His garment. And as many as touched were made 
whole. 

3. About this time Christ promised the Blessed Eucharist, healed 
the daughter of the Syrophenician woman on the coast of Tyre^, 
and fed four thousand with a few httle fishes and seven barley 
loaves when the multitude came to Him by the Sea of Galileel 
Now, when Christ came to the quarters of Cesarea Philippi, He 
promised the primacy to Peter, and Peter declared the divinity of 
Christ. Jesus said : Who do men say that the Son of Miin is ? 
But they said : Some John the Baptist, and other-some Ehas, and 
others Jeremias or one of the prophets. Jesus saith to them : But 
who do you say that I am ? Simon Peter answered and said : Thou 
art Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answering, said to 
him : Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona, because flesh and blood hath 
not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. I say to 
thee. That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, 
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to 
thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou 
shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven ; and what- 
soever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven. 
Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that 
He was Jesus the Christ. From that time, Jesus began to show to His 
disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things 
from the ancients, and scribes, and chief priests, and be put to death, 
and the third day rise again. 



A.D. 32-33 [ Ptib lie Life of Jesus Christ, 



-^1 



4. Having left Cesarea Philippi, having foretold His passion and 
death, having been transfigured, and having worked many miracles, 
Jesus steadily set His face to go to Jerusalem. He sent messengers 
before His face ; and, going, they entered into a city of the Samari- 
tans to prepare for Him. They received Him not, because His face 
was of one going to Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and 
John had seen this, they said : Lord, wilt Thou that w^e command 
fire to come down from heaven and consume them ? Turning, He 
rebuked them, saying: You know not of what spirit you are. The 
Son of Man came not to destroy souls, but to save. They went 
into another town ; and it came to pass, as they walked in the way, 
that a certain man said to Him: I will follow Thee whithersoever 
Thou goest. Jesus said to him : The foxes have holes, and the birds 
of the air nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His 
head. Christ said to another: Follow Me; and he said: Lord, 
suffer me first to go and to bury my father. Jesus said to him : 
Let the dead bury their dead ; but go thou, and preach the kingdom 
of God. And another said : I will follow Thee, Lord, but let me 
first take my leave of them that are at my house. Jesus said to him : 
No man putting his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for 
the kingdom of God. 

5. Soon afterwards Christ appointed seventy-two disciples, and 
sent them, two and two, before His face into every city and place 
whither He was to come. To them Christ gave the following 
instructions : " The harvest indeed is great, but the laborers are few. 
Pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that He send laborers- 
into His harvest. Go : behold I send you as lambs among wolves. 
Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes, and salute no man by the 
way. Into whatsoever house you enter, first say : Peace be to this 
house ; and if the Son of Peace be there, your peace shall rest upon 
Him, but if not, it shall return to you. And in the same house 
remain, eating and drinking such things as they have, for the laborer 
is worthy of his hire. Remove not from house to house. And into 
what city soever you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as 
are set before you. And heal the sick that are therein, and say to 



298 Public Life of Jesus Christ. ]a.d. 32-33 

them : The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. But into what- 
soever city you enter, and they receive you not, going forth into the 
streets thereof, say : Even the very dust of your city that cleaveth to 
us we wipe off against you ; yet know this, that the kingdom of God 
is at hand. I say to you, it shall be more tolerable at that day for 
Sodom than for that city. Wo to thee, Corozain, wo to thee, Beth- 
saida ; for if in Tyre and Sidon had been wrought the mighty works 
that have been wTought in you, they would have done penance long 
ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it shall be more tolerable 
for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you. And thou 
Capharnaum, which art exalted unto heaven, thou shalt be thrust 
'down to hell. He that heareth you heareth Me, and he that 
^despiseth you despiseth Me; and he that despiseth Me despiseth 
Jiim that sent Me. The seventy -two returned with joy, saying: 
Lord, the devils also are subject to us in Thy name. To them He 
said : I saw Satan like lightning falling from heaven. Behold, I 
have given you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and 
upon all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. But 
yet rejoice not in this that spirits are subject ur.to you, but rejoice 
ill this that your names are WTitten in heaven. In that same hour 
He rejoiced in the Holy Ghost, and said: I confess to Thee, O 
Pather, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hidden these 
things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to Tittle 
ones. Yea, Father ; for so it hath seemed good in Thy sight. All 
things are delivered to Me by My Father. And no one knoweth 
■who the Son is but the Father, and who the Father is but the Son, 
and to whom the Son will reveal Him. Then turning to His dis- 
ciples, he said : Blessed are the eyes that see the things which you 
see. For I say to you that many prophets and kings have desired 
to see the things that you see and have not seen them, and to hear 
the things that you hear and have not heard them." 

6. Between the commission to the seventy-two and the entry into 
Jericho, a great many of the discourses and parables mentioned in 
the following chapters were spoken, and many miracles were wrought. 
As Christ entered into Jericho there was a rich man, named Zacheus, 



A.o. 32-33 [ Public Life of Jesus Christ. 299 

who was chief of the pubHcans, and who sought to see who Jesus 
was. He eould not for the crowd, because he was low of stature. 
And rwnning before, he cUmbed up into a sycamore-tree that he 
might see Him, for He was to pass that way. When Jesus was 
come to the place, looking up. He saw him, and said to him: 
Zacheus, make haste and come down, for this day I must abide in 
thy house. And he made haste and came down, and received Him 
with joy. When all saw it they murmured, saying that He was 
gone to be a guest with a man that was a sinner. But Zacheus 
standing said to the Lord : Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I 
give to the poor ; and, if I have wronged any man of anything, I 
restore him fourfold. Jesus said to him : This day is salvation come 
to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of 
man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. As they were 
hearing these things, Ife added and spoke the parable of the ten 
talents, because He was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they 
thought that the kingdom of God should immediately be mani- 
fested. 

7. Christ went up to Jerusalem, and delivered many discourses to 
His followers. At the Feast of the Dedication, He walked in Solo- 
mon's porch, and the Jews, coming round about Him, said: How long 
dost Thou hold our souls in suspense ? If Thou be the Christ, tell 
us plainly. Jesus answered them : I speak to you, and you believe 
not ; the works that I do in the name of My Father, they give testi- 
mony of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My 
sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow 
Me; and I give them life everlasting; and they shall not perish for 
ever, and no man shall pluck them out of My hand. That which 
My Father hath given Me is greater than all, and no man can snatch 
them out of the hand of IMy Father. I and the Father are one. The 
Jews then took up stones to stone Him. Jesus answered them: 
Many good works I have showed you from My Father; for which of 
those works do you stone Me ? The Jews answered Him : For a 
good work we stone Thee not, but for blasphemy, and because that 
Thou, being a man, makest Thyself God. Jesus answered them : Is 



300 Public Life of Jesus Christ, {a.d. 32-33 

it not written in your law : I said, you are gods ? If He called 
them gods to whom the word of God was spoken, and the Scripture 
cannot be broken, do you say of Him whom the Father hath 
sanctified and sent into the world: Thou blasphemest, because I 
said, I am the Son of God ? If I do not the works of My Father, 
beUeve Me not. But if I do, though you will not believe Me, believe 
the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, 
and I in the Father. 

8. Thence Jesus passed beyond the Jordan to that place where 
John first baptized, because he wished to elude the fury of the Jews- 
There He abode for some time, and made many converts. He next 
went to Bethania, where He raised to life Lazarus, the brother of 
Mary, who anointed Him with ointment, and wiped His feet with her 
hair. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council, and 
said : What shall we do, for this Man doth ,many miracles ? If we 
let Him alone so, all will believe in Him ; and the Romans will 
come and take away our place and nation. But one of them 
named Caiphas, being the high- priest that year, said to them : You 
know nothing, neither do you consider that it is expedient for you 
that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation 
perish not. This he spoke, not of himself, but, being the high- 
priest of that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the 
nation; and not only for the nation, but to gather together in one the 
children of God that were dispersed. From that day, therefore, they 
devised to put him to death. Wherefore Jesus walked no more 
openly among the Jews, but he went into a country near the desert, 
into a city that is called Ephrem, and there He abode with His 
disciples. And the Pasch of the Jews was at hand ; and many from 
the country went up to Jerusalem before the Pasch, to purify them- 
selves. They sought, therefore, for Jesus; and they discoursed one 
with another, standing in the temple : What think you, that He is 
not come to the festival day ? And the chief priests and the Phari- 
sees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where He 
was, he should tell, that they might apprehend Him. 

9. When Jesus had raised Lazarus to life, a supper was made for 



A.D. 32-33} Public Life of Jesus Christ, 301 

Him, and Lazarus was one of those that were at table with Hini. 
While Martha served, Mary took a pound of right spikenard of 
great price, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with 
her hair, and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. 
Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, he that was ai)out to betray 
Him, said : Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, 
and given to the poor ? Now, he said this, not because he cared for 
the poor, but because he was a thief, and, having the purse, carried 
the things that were put therein. Jesus, therefore, said : Let her 
alone, that she may keep it against the day of My burial; for' the 
poor ye have always with you, but Me ye have not always. A 
great multitude, therefore, of the Jews knew that He was there; and 
they came not, for Jesus's sake only, but that they might see Lazarus, 
whom he had raised from the dead. But the chief priests thought 
to kill Lazarus also ; because many of the Jews, by reason of him, 
went away, and believed in Jesus. 

10. Jesus, having left Bethania, was on His way to the celebra- 
tion of the Passover at Jerusalem ; and, when He and His disciples 
drew nigh to Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto Mount 
Olivet, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them : Go ye into 
the village that is over against you, and immediately you shall find 
an ass tied, and a colt with her; loose them and bring them to Me; 
and if any man shall say anything unto you, say ye that the Lord 
hath need of them, and forthwith he will let them go. Now, all 
this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the 
prophet, saying: Tell ye the daughter of Sion: Behold thy King 
cometh to thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass and a colt the foal 
of her that is used to the yoke. And the disciples, going, did as 
Jesus commanded them. And they brought the ass and the colt, 
and laid their garments upon them, and made Him sit thereon. 
And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way, and 
others cut boughs from the trees, and strewed them in the way. 
And the multitudes that went before and that followed cried, saying : 
Hosanna to the Son of David ; blessed is He that cometh in the 
name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when He was 



302 Public Life of Jesus Christ. {a.d. 32-3: 

come into Jerusalem, the whole city was moved, saying : Who is 
this ? And the people said : This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth 
of Galilee. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out 
all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the 
tables of the money-changers, and the chairs of them that sold 
doves. And He saith to them : It is written : My house shall be 
called the house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves. 
And there came to Him the blind and the lame in the temple, and 
He healed them. 

II, According to His custom, Jesus taught every day in the 
temple and Jerusalem. Now, there were certain Gentiles among 
them that came up to adore on the festival day. These therefore 
came to Philip, who was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, 
saying : Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth An- 
drew, again Andrew and Philip told Jesus; but Jesus answered 
them, saying : The hour is come that the Son of Man should be 
glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat fall- 
ing to the ground die, itself remaineth alone; but if it die, it 
bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it ; and 
he that hateth his life in this world keepeth it unto life eternal. If 
any man minister to Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there 
also shall My minister be. If any man minister to Me, him will My 
Father honor. Now is My soul troubled. And what shall I say ? 
Father, save Me from this hour. But for this cause I came unto 
this hour. Father, glorify Thy name. A voice therefore came from 
heaven ; I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The 
multitude, therefore, that stood and heard, said that it thundered. 
Others said: An angel spoke to Him. Jesus answered, and said: 
This voice came not because of Me, but for your sakes. 

12 After foretelling the general judgment, Christ said to His 
disciples : You know that after two days shall be the Pasch, and the 
Son of Man shall be delivered up to be crucified. Then were 
gathered together the chief priests and ancients of the people into 
the court of the high-priest, who was called Caiphas; and they con- 
sulted together, that by subtilty they might apprehend Jesus, and 



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Public Life of Jesus Christ. 



put Hiin to death ; but they said : Not on the festival day, lest per- 
haps there should be a tumult among the people. Then went one 
of the twelve, who was called Judcs Iscariot, to the chief priests? 
and said to them : What will you give me, and I will deliver Him 
unto you ? But they appointed him thirty pieces of silver. And 
from thenceforth he sought opportunity to betray Him. And on 
the first day of the Azymes, the disciples came to Jesus, saying: 
Where wilt Thou that we prepare for Thee to eat the Pasch ? But 
Jesus said : Go ye into the city to a certain man, and say to him : 
The Master saith : My time is near at hand, with thee I make the 
Pasch with My disciples. And the disciples did as Jesus appointed 
to them, and they prepared the Pasch. But when it was evening, 
He sat down with His twelve disciples; and, whilst they were eat- 
ing, He said : Amen, I say to you, that one of you is about to 
betray Me. And they, being very much troubled, began every one 
to say: Is it I, Lord ? But He, answering, said : He that dippeth 
his hand with Me in the dish, he shall betray Me. The Son of 
Man indeed goeth, as it is written of Him; but wo to that man by 
whom the Son of Man shall be betrayed ; it were better for him if 
that man had not been born. And Judas, that betrayed Him, 
answering, said : Is it I, Rabbi ? He saith to him : Thou hast said 
it. And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed, 
and broke, and gave to His disciples, and said : Take ye, and eat ; 
this is My body. And taking the chalice, He gave thanks; and 
gave to them, saying: Drink ye all of this; For this is My blood of 
the New Testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission 
of sins. And I say to you : I will not drink from henceforth of 
this fruit of the vine, until that day when I shall drink it with you 
new in the kingdom of My Father. 

13. While the apostles were at the Last Supper, there was also a 
strife amongst them, which of them should seem to be greater. And 
He said to them : The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them ; and 
they that have power over them are called beneficent. But you 
not so ; but he that is the greater among you, let him become as 
the younger ; and he that is the leader, as he that serveth. For 



304 Public Life of Jesus Christ. -Ja.d. 32-33 

which is greater, lie that sitteth at table, or he that serveth ? Is not 
he that sitteth at table ? But I am in the midst of you, as he that 
serveth. And you are they who have continued with Me in My 
temptations; and I dispose to you, as my Father hath disposed to 
Me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at My table in My 
kingdom, and may sit upon thrones judging the twelve tribes of 
Israel. And the Lord said : Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath 
desired to have you, that he ma sift you as wheat; but I have 
prayed for thee, that thy faith ai. not; and thou, being once con- 
verted, confirm thy brethren. A\ no said to Him : Lord, I am ready 
to go with Thee both unto prison and to death. And He said : I 
say to thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, till thou thrice 
deniest that thou knowest Me. And He said to them : When I 
sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, did you want anything ? 
But they said : Nothing. Then said He unto them : But now he 
that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise a scrip; and He that 
hath not, let him sell his coat, and buy a sword ; for I say to you, 
that what is written must yet be fulfilled in Me : And with the 
wicked was He reckoned. For the things concerning Me have an 
end. But they said : Lord, behold here are two swords. And He 
said to them : It is enough. 

QUESTIONS. 

Describe the places visited by Christ during the third )'ear of His public 
mission? Mention and trace on the map the places visited by Christ dur- 
ing the third year of His mission ? Describe the meeting of Christ and Peter 
on the sea? How was the primacy promised to Peter? Give the substance 
of Christ's instructions to the seventy-two disciples= Give a description of 
the meeting of Christ and Zacheus? How did Christ explain His divinity 
to the Jews in Solomon's porch? What were the principal acts of Christ 
before entering Jerusalem ? Describe in your own words the anointing of 
Christ's feet by Mary? Could you write down a description of Christ's entry 
into Jerusalem? Describe the comingof the Gentiles to Christ? What did 
Christ say? How did Christ point out His betrayer to the apostles ? How 
was the Blessed Sacrament instituted? Describe the contention of the 
apostles? What did Christ prornise to Peter? Which were the most im- 
portant nets of the third year's ministry of Christ? 




>\.D- 3«>-33^ \ Discourses of Jesus Christ. 305 

CHAPTER XLIL 

THE DISCOURSES OF JESUS CHRIST. A.D. 30-33^. 

HERE are about fifty discourses of our Saviour recorded 
in the Bible ; some are unbroken addresses, some dia- 
logues, and some controversies. Christ's discourses 
31 embody His doctrine. To convey doctrine to the 
minds of the multitude, Christ made use of parables, which shall be 
hereafter set forth. I shall present Christ's discourses according to 
time, and shall give them space according to importance. 

I. Christ a?id Nicodei7ius. — There was a man of the Pharisees 
named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by 
night, and said to Him : Rabbi, we know that Thou art come a teacher 
from God, for no man can do these signs which Thou dost, unless 
God be with him. Jesus answered, and said to him : Amen, amen 
I say to thee, unless a man be born again, he cannot see the king- 
dom of God. Nicodemus saith to Him : How can a man be born 
when he is old ? Can he enter a second time into his mother's 
womb, and be born again ? Jesus answered : Amen, amen I say to 
thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he 
cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the 
flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Wonder 
not that I say to thee, you must be born again. The Spirit breath- 
eth where He will, and thou heareth His voice, but thou knowest not 
whence He cometh or whither He goeth, so is every one that is born of 
t»he Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said to Him : How can these 
things be done ? Jesus answered and said to him : Art thou a master 
in Israel, and knowest not these things ? Amen, amen I say to 
thee, that we speak what v/e know, and we testify what we have 
seen, and you receive not our testimony. If I have spoken to you 
earthly things and you believe not, how will you believe if I shall 
speak to you heavenly things ? And no man hath ascended into 
lieave-n, but He that descended from heaven, the Son of Man who is 
in heave-n. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so 










CD - 



A.u. 3o-33>ir [ Disccurscs of yesus Christ. 307 

must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever beheveth in Him 
may not perish, but may have hfe everlasting. For God so loved 
the world as to give His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believ- 
eth in Him may not perish, but may have life everlasting. For 
God sent not His Son into the world to judge the world, but that 
the world may be saved by Him. He that believeth in Him is not 
judged; but he that doth not believe is already judged, because he 
believeth not in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. And 
this is the judgment, because the light is come into the world, and 
men loved darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil. 
For every one that doth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the 
light, that his works may not be reproved ; but he that doth truth 
cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest, because 
they are done in God. 

2. CJu'ist and the Sa??ia?'itajt TFcma/?. — Jesus, being wearied, sat 
near Jacob's well by Sichar. It was about the sixth hour. There 
cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus saith to her : 
Give Me to drink. For His disciples were gone into the city to buy 
meats. Then that Samaritan w^oman saith to Him : How dost Thou, 
being a Jew, ask of me to drink, who am a Samaritan woman ? P'or 
the Jews do not communicate with the Samaritans. Jesus answered, 
and said to her : If thou didst know the gift of God, and who He is 
that saith to thee. Give Me to drink, thou perhaps would have asked 
of Him, and He would have given thee living water. The woman 
saith to Him : Sir, Thou hast nothing wherein to draw, and the well 
is deep ? from whence, then, hast Thou living water ? Art Thou 
greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank 
thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle ? Jesus answered, 
and said to her : Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again ; 
but he that shall drink of the water that I will give him shall not 
thirst for ever; but the water that I will give him shall become in 
him a fountain of water springing up into life everlasting. The 
woman saith to Him : Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, 
nor come hither to draw. Jesus saith to her : Go, call thy husband, 
and come hither. The woman answered and said : I have no husband. 



3o8 Discourses of Jesus Christ. |a.d. 30-3314 

Jesus said to her: Thou hast said well, I have no husband; for thoid 
hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast, is not thy hus- 
band : this thou hast said truly. The woman saith to Him : Sir, I 
perceive that Thou art a prophet. Our fathers adored on this moun- 
tain, and you say that at Jerusalem is the place where men must 
adore. Jesus saith to her: Woman, believe Me that the hour 
Cometh when you shall neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem 
adore the Father. You adore that which you know not ; we adore 
that which we know, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour 
Cometh, and now is, when the true adorers shall adore the Father in 
spirit and in truth. For the Father also seeketh such to adore Him. 
God is a spirit ; and they that adore Him must adore Him in spirit and 
in truth. The woman saith to Him : I know that the Messias 
Cometh (who is called Christ) ; therefore, when He is come, He will 
tell us all things. Jesus saith to her : I am He, who am speaking 
with thee. And immediately His disciples came ; and they wondered 
that He talked with the woman. Yet no man said : What seekest 
Thou, or why talkest Thou with her ? The woman, therefore, left 
her water-pot, and went away into the city, and saith to the men 
there : Come, and see a man who has told me all things whatsoever 
I have done ; is not He the Christ ? They went therefore out of the 
city, and came unto Him. In the meantime, the disciples prayed 
Him, saying : Rabbi, eat. But He said to them : I have meat to eat 
which you know not. The disciples therefore said one to another: 
Hath any man brought Him to eat ? Jesus saith to them : My meat 
is to do the will of Him that sent Me, that I may perfect His work. 
Do not you say there are yet four months, and then the harvest 
Cometh ? Behold I say to you ; Lift up your eyes, and see the 
countries, for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth 
receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life everlasting ; that both 
he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. For in 
this is the saying true : that it is one man that soweth, and it is 
another that reapeth. I have sent you to reap that in which you 
did not labor ; others have labored, and you have entered into their 
labors. Now, of that city many of the Samaritans beHeved in Him, 



A.D.30-33XJ- Discourses of Jesus Christ 309 

for the word of the woman giving testimony : He told me all things 
whatsoever I have done. 

3. Christ and yohi's Disciples. — The disciples of John came to 
Christ, and said : Why do we and the Pharisees fast often : but Thy 
disciples do not fast ? Jesus said to them : Can the children of the 
bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them ? But 
the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from 
them : and then they shall fast. And nobody putteth a piece of 
raw cloth unto an old garment, for it taketh away the fulness thereof 
from the garment, and there is made a greater rent. Neither do 
they put new wine into old bottles ; otherwise the botdes break, and 
the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish. But new wine they put 
into new bottles ; and both are preserved. 

4. Chris fs Disciples plucking Corn on the Sabbath. — And it came to 
pass again as the Lord walked through the corn-fields on the Sabbath, 
that His disciples began to go forward and to pluck the ears of corn. 
And the Pharisees said to Him : Behold, why do they on the Sab- 
bath-day that which is not lawful ? And He said to them : Have 
you never read what David did when he had need, and was hungry 
himself, and they that were with him ? How he went into the house 
of God under Abiathar the high-priest, and did eat the loaves of 
proposition which it was not lawful to eat but for the priests, and 
gave to them who were with him ? And He said to them : The 
Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. There- 
fore the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath also. 

5. Christ's Sermofi o?i the Mount. — By this sermon the Mosaic 
dispensation was abrogated, and the fundamental truths of the 
Christian code promulgated. Christ, seeing vast multitudes, went 
up into a mountain, and, when His disciples were come unto Him, 
taught them thus : Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the 
kingdom of heaven ; blessed are the meek, for they shall possess 
the land ; blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted; 
blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice, for they shall 
have their fill ; blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy ; 
blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God ; blessed are 



3IO Pis courses of Jesus Christ, -j a.d. 30 33>i^ 

the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God; 
blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice's sake, for theirs is 
the kingdom of heaven; blessed are ye when they shall revile you, 
and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, 
for My sake ; be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in 
heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets that were before you. 
You are the salt of the earth, but, if the salt lose its savor, where- 
with shall it be salted ? It is good for nothing any more but to be 
cast out, and to be trodden on by men. You are the light of the 
world. A city seated on a mountain cannot be hid. Neither do 
men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, 
that it may shine to all that are in the house. So let your light shine 
before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your 
Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I am come to destroy 
the law or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 
For amen I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one 
tittle shall not pass of the law till all be fulfilled. He, therefore, 
that shall break one of these least commandments, and shall so teach 
men, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven^ but he that 
shall do and teach shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 
For I tell you that, unless your justice abound more than that of the 
scribes and pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 
You have heard that it was said to them of old, Thou shalt not kill, 
and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment ; but I 
say to you that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in 
danger of the judgment ; and whosoever shall say to his brother, 
Raca, shall be in danger of the council ; and whosoever shall say. 
Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. If, therefore, thou offer 
thy gift at the altar, and there thou remember that thy brother hath 
anything against thee, leave there thy offering before the altar, and 
go first to be reconciled to thy brother, and then coming thou shalt 
offer thy gift. Be at agreement with thy adversary betimes whilst 
thou art in the way with him, lest perhaps the adversary deliver thee 
to the judge, and the judge dehver thee to the officer, and thou be 
cast into prison. Amen I say to thee, thou shalt not go out from 



A.D. 30-33;^ [ Discourses of Jesus Christ. 3 1 1 

thence till thou repay the last farthing. You have heard that it was 
said tQ them of old, Thou shalt not commit adultery ; but I say to 
you, that whosoever shall look on a woman to lust after her hath 
already committed adultery with her in his heart. And if thy right 
eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee ; for it is ex- 
j)edient for thee that one of thy members should perish rather* than 
thy whole body be cast into hell. And if thy right hand scandalize 
thee, cut it off and cast it from thee ; for it is expedient for thee that 
one of thy members should perish rather than that thy whole body 
go into hell. And it hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his 
wife, let him give her a bill of divorce; but I say to you, that who- 
soever shall put away his wife, excepting the cause of fornication, 
maketh her to commit adultery ; and he that shall marry her that is 
put away committeth adultery. Again, you have heard that it was 
said to them of old, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but thou shalt 
perform thy oaths to the Lord; but I say to you not to swear at all, 
neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God, nor by the earth, for 
it is His footstool, nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great 
king ; neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not 
make one hair white or black; but let thy speech be, Yea, yea; No, 
no ; and that which is over and above these is of evil. You have 
heard that it has been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a 
tooth ; but I say to thee not to resist evil, and, if any one strike thee 
on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other ; if a man will contend 
with thee in judgment, and take away thy coat, let go thy cloak also 
unto him ; and whosoever will force thee one mile, go with him 
other two. Give to him that asketh of thee, and from him that 
would borrow of thee turn not away. You have heard that it hath 
been said. Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thy enemy ; but 
I say to you, love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, and 
pray for them that persecute and calumniate you, that you may be 
the children of your Father who is in heaven, who maketh his 
sun to rise upon the good and bad, and raineth upon the just and 
the unjust. For if you love them that love you, what reward shall 
you have ? Do not even the publicans this ? And if you salute 



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.A..D. 30-33!/^ 



your brethren only, what do you more ? Do not also the heatliens 
this? Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect. 
Take heed that you do not your justice before men, to be seen by 
them; otherwise you shall not have a reward of your Father who 
is in heaven. Therefore, when thou dost an alms-deed, sound not 
a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and 
in the streets, that they may be honored by men. Amen I say to 
you, they have received their reward. But when thou dost alms, 
let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth ; that thy alms 
may be in secret, and thy Father, who seeth in secret, will repay 
thee. And when ye pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, that 
love to stand and pray in the synagogues and corners of the streets, 
that they may be seen by men. Amen I say to you, they have 
received their reward. But thou, when thou shalt pray, enter into 
thy chamber, and, having shut the door, pray to thy Father in 
secret ; and thy Father, who seeth in secret, will repay thee. And 
when you are praying, speak not much, as the heathens; for they 
think that in their much-speaking they may be heard. Be iiot you, 
therefore, like to them ; for your Father knoweth what is needful for 
you before you ask Him. Thus, therefore, shall you pray: Our 
Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name ; Thy kingdom 
come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven ; give us this 
day our supersubstantial bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also 
forgive our debtors ; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver 
us from evil. Amen. For if you will forgive men their offences, 
your heavenly Father will forgive you also your offences. But if 
you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your 
offences. And when you fast, be not as the hypocrites, sad ; for 
they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. 
Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But thou> 
when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face, that thou 
appear not to men to fast, but to thy Father, who is in secret ; and 
thy Father, who seeth in secret, will repay thee. Lay not up to 
yourselves treasures on earth, wliere the rust and moth consume, 
and where thieves break through and steal ; but lay up to yourselves 



A.D. 3o-33.vf Discourses of yesiis Christ. 



treasures in heaven, where neither the rust nor moth doth consume, 
and where thieves do not break through nor steal; for where thy 
treasure is, there is thy heart also. The Hght of thy body is thy 
eye. If thy eye be single, thy whole body shall be lightsome ; but 
if thy eye be evil, thy whole body shall be darksome. If, then, the 
light that is in thee be darkness, the darkness itself how great shall 
it be ? No man can serve two masters ; for either he will hate the 
one, and love the other; or he will sustain the one, and despise the 
other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say to 
you, be not solicitous for your life what you shall eat, nor for your 
body what you shall put on. Is not the life more than the meat, 
and the body more than the raiment? Behold the birds of the air, 
for they neither sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into bajns.; and 
your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not you of much more 
value than they ? And which of you, by taking thought, can add 
to his stature one cubit ? And for raiment, why are you solicitous? 
Consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they labor not, 
neither do they spin. But I say t ) you, that not even Solomon in^ 
ail his glory was arrayed as one of these. And if the grass of the 
field, which is to-day and to-morrow, is cast into the oven, God 
doth so clothe ; how much more you, O ye of little faith ! Be not 
solicitous, therefore, saying : What shall we eat? or what shall we 
drink ? or wherewith shall we be clothed? for after all these things 
do the heathens seek; for your Father knoweth that you have need 
of all these things. Seek ye, therefore, first the kingdom of God, 
and His justice; and all these things shall be added unto you. Be 
not therefore solicitous for to-morrow; for the morrow will be 
solicitous for itself; sufiicient for the day is the evil thereof. Judge 
not, that you may not be judged; for with what judgment you 
judge, you shall be judged; and with what measure you mete, it 
shall be measured to you again. And why seest thou the mote that 
is in thy brother's eye, and seest not the beam that is m thy own 
eye ? Or liow sayest thou to thy brother : Let me cast the mote 
out of thy eye, and behold a beam is in thy own eye? Thou; 
hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thy own eye, and then. 



3 1 4 Discourses of Jesus Christ. \ a.d. 30-33 14 

shalt thou see to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. Give 
not that which is holy to dogs \ neither cast ye your pearls before 
swine, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and, turning 
upon you, they tear you. Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and 
you shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened to you ; for every one 
that asketh, receiveth ; and he that seeketh, findeth ; and to him 
that knocketh, it shall be opened. Or what man is there among 
you, of whom if his son shall ask bread, will he reach him a stone ? 
Or if he shall ask him a fish, will he reach him a serpent? If you, 
then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how 
.much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to 
■them that ask Him ? All things, therefore, whatsoever you would 
that men should do to you, do you also to them; for this is the law 
and the prophets. Enter ye in at the narrow gate.; for wide rs the 
gate and broad is the way tnat leadeth to destruction, and many 
there are who go in thereat. How narrow is the gate, and strait 
is the way that leadeth to hfe, and few there are that find it ! Beware 
of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but 
inwardly they are ravening wolves; by their fruits you shall know 
them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles ? . Even 
so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree 
bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit; 
neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit ; every tree that 
bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down, and shall be cast 
into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them. Not 
every one that saith to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom 
of heaven; but he that doth the will of My Father who is in heaven, 
he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. Many will say to Me 
in that day: Lord, Lord, have not we prophesied in Thy name, and 
cast out devils in Thy name, and done many miracles in Thy name ? 
And then will I profess unto them : I never knew you ; depart from 
Me, you that work iniquity. Every one, therefore, that heareth 
these My words, and doth them, shall be likened to a wise man, that 
built his house upon a rock, and the rain fell, and the floods came, 
•and the winds blew and they beat upon that house, and it fell not, 



A.D. 3o-33'/2 j- Discourses of Jesus Christ. 3 1 5 

for it was founded on a rock. And every one that heareth these My 
words, and doth them not, shall be like a foolish man that built his 
house upon the sand, and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the 
winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was 
the fall thereof. And it came to pass, when Jesus had fully ended 
these words, the people were in admiration at His doctrine ; for He 
was teaching them as one having power, and not as their Scribes 
and Pharisees. 

6. Christ and Johii's messengers, — John sent two disciples to Jesus 
saying : Art thou He that art to come, or look we for another ? And 
when the men were come unto him, they said : John the Baptist 
hath sent us to thee, saying : Art thou He that art to come, or look we 
for another.? (And in that same hour He cured many of their dis- 
eases, and hurts, and evil spirits, and to many that were blind 
He gave sight) And answering, He said to them : Go and relate to 
John what you have heard and seen : The blind see, the lame walk, 
the lepers are made clean, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, to the 
poor the Gospel is preached, and blessed is he whosoever shall not 
be scandalized in Me. 

7. Christ eulogizes ^oh7i the Baptist before the multitude. — When 
the two messengers returned to John in prison, Jesus said : What 
went you out into the desert to see ? a reed shaken with the wind ? 
But what went you out to see ? a man clothed in soft garments ? 
Behold, tliey that are clothed in soft garments are in the houses of 
kings. But what went you out to see ? a prophet ? Yea, I tell 
you, and more than a prophet ; for this is he of whom it is written : 
Behold I send My Angel before Thy face who shall prepare Thy way 
before Thee. Amen I say to you, there hath not risen among them 
that are born of women a greater than John the Baptist; yet He that 
is the lesser in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And 
from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven 
suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away. For all the pro- 
phets and the law prophesied until John, and if you v/ill not receive 
it, he is Elias that is to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him 
hear. But whereunto shall I esteem this generation to be like ? It 



316 Discourses of Jesus Christ. ] a 0.30-33/2 

is like to children sitting in the market-place, who, crying to their 
companions, say : We have piped to you, and you have not danced ; 
we have lamented, and you have not mourned. For John came 
neither eating nor drinking, and they say : He hath a devil. The 
Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say: Behold a man 
that is a glutton and a wine-drinker, a friend of pubhcans and sin- 
ners, and wisdom is justified by her children. Then began He to 
upbraid the cities wherein were done the most of His miracles, for 
that they had not done penance. Wo to thee, Corozain, wo to thee, 
Bethsaida; for if in Tyre and Sidon had been wrought the miracles 
that have been wrought in you, they had long ago done penance 
in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you: It shall be more 
tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 
And thou, Capharnaum, shalt thou be exalted up to heaven ? thou 
shalt go down even unto hell; for if in Sodom had been wrought the 
miracles that have been wrought in thee, perhaps it had remained 
unto this day. But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable 
for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee. At 
that time Jesus answered and said : I confess to Thee, O Father, 
Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from 
the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones. Yea, 
Father, for so hath it seemed good in Thy sight. All things are 
delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knoweth the Son but the 
Father; neither doth any one know the Father but the Son and he to 
whom it shall please the Son to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you that 
labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Take up My yoke 
upon you, and learn of Me, begause I am meek and humble of 
heart, and you shall find rest to your souls ; for My yoke is sweet 
and My burden light. 

8. Christ a7id his Mother. — Ashe was yet speaking to the multi- 
tudes, behold His mother and His brethren stood without, seeking 
to speak to Him. And one said unto Him : Behold Thy mother 
and Thy brethren stand without seeking Thee. But He answering 
him that told Him, said : Who is My mother, and who are My 
brethren ? And stretching forth His hand towards his disciples. He 



A.D. 30-331/2 [- Discoicrses of Jesus Christ. 3 1 7 

said : Behold My mother and My brethren. For whosoever shall 
do the will of ]\Iy Father that is in heaven, he is My brother, and 
sister, and mother. 

9. Christ promises the Blessed Eucharist. — When the multitude 
sought Jesus in Capharnaum, and afterwards found him on the other 
side of the sea, they said to him : Rabbi, when camest Thou hither ? 
Jesus answered them, and said : Amen, amen I say to you, you seek 
Me not because you have seen miracles, but because you did eat 
of the loaves, and were filled. Labor not for the meat which per- 
isheth, but for that which endureth unto life everlasting, which the 
Son of Man will give you. For Him hath God, the Father, sealed. 
They said therefore unto Him: What shall we do that we may work 
the works of God ? Jesus answered, and said to them : This is the 
work of God, that you believe in Him whom He hath sent. They 
said therefore to Him : What sign, therefore, dost Thou show that 
we may see, and may believe Thee ? What dost Thou work ? Our 
fathers did eat manna in the desert, as it is written : He gave them 
bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said to them : Amen, amen 
I say to you, Moses gave you not bread from heaven, but My 
Father givethyou the true bread from heaven; for the bread of God 
is that which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life to the world. 
They said therefore unto Him : Lord, give us always this bread. 
And Jesus said to them: I am the bread of Hfe; he that cometh to 
Me shall not hanger, and he that believeth in Me shall never thirst. 
But I said unto you that you also have seen Me, and you believe 
not. x\ll that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me, and him that 
cometh to Me I will not cast out, because I came down from heaven 
not to do My own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. Now, this 
is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all that He hath given 
Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again in the last 
day. And this is the will of My Father that sent Me, that every 
one who seeth the Son, and believeth in Him, may have life ever- 
lasting, and I will raise him up in the last day. The Jews, therefore, 
murmured at Him, because He had said : I am the living bread 
which came down from heaven ; and they said : Is not this Jesus the 



3i8 Discourses of Jesus Christ, ] a.d. 3o-33><^ 

son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know ? How, then, saith 
He : I came down from heaven ? Jesus therefore answered and 
said to them : Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come 
to me except the Father who hath sent Me draw him, and I will 
raise him up in the last day. It is written in the prophets: And 
they shall all be taught of God. Every one that hath heard of the 
Father, and hath learned, cometh to Me. Not that any man hath 
seen the Father, but He who is of God, He hath seen the Father. 
Amen, amen I say unto you, he that believeth in Me hath everlast- 
ing life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the 
desert, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from 
heaven, that if any man eat of it he may not die. I am the living 
bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread, 
he shall live for ever, and the bread that I will give is My flesh for 
the life of the world. The Jews, therefore, strove among themselves, 
saying : How can this man give us His flesh to eat ? Then Jesus 
said to them : Amen, amen I say unto you, except you eat the flesh 
of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you shall not have life in 
you. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath ever- 
lasting life, and I will raise him up in the last day; for My flesh is 
meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My 
flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in Me and I in him. As the 
living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father, so he that 
eateth Me, the same also shall live by Me. This is the bread that 
came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna, and 
are dead : he that eateth this bread shall live for ever. These things 
He said, teaching in the synagogue in Capharnaum. Many, there- 
fore, of His disciples hearing it, said : This saying is hard, and who 
can hear it ? But Jesus, knowing in Himself that His disciples mur- 
mured at this, said to them : Doth this scandalize you ? If, then, 
you shall see the Son of Man ascend up where He was before ? It 
is the spirit that quickeneth ; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words 
that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of 
you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they 
were that did not believe, and who he was that would betray Him. 



A.D. 30-331/2 } Discourses of yesMS Christ. 319 

And He said : Therefore did I say to you that no man can come to 
Me unless it be given him by My Father. After this many of His dis- 
ciples went back, and walked no more with Him. Then Jesus said 
to the twelve: Will you also go away? And Simon Peter answered 
Him : Lord, to whom shall we go ? Thou hast the words of eternal 
life, and we have believed and have known that Thou art the Christ 
the Son of God. Jesus answered them : Have not I chosen you 
twelve, and one of you is a devil? Now, He meant Judas Iscariot, 
the son of Simon ; for this same was about to betray Him, whereas he 
was one of the twelve. 

10. Christ and the Phat'isees. — From Jerusalem came to Christ 
Scribes and Pharisees, saying: Why do Thy disciples transgress the 
tradition of the ancients ? For they wash not their hands when they 
eat bread. But He, answering, said to them : Why do you also 
transgress the commandment of God for your tradition ? For God 
said: Honor thy father and mother; and. He that shall curse father 
or mother, let him die the death. But you say : Whosoever shall 
say to father or mother, the gift whatsoever proceedeth from me, 
shall profit thee: and he shall not honor his father or his mother; 
and you have made void the commandment of God for your tradi- 
tion. Hypocrites, well hath Isaias prophesied of you, saying: This 
people honoreth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me; 
and in vain do they worship Me, teaching doctrines and command- 
ments of men. And having called together the multitudes unto 
Him, He said to them : Hear ye and understand. Not that which 
goeth into the mouth defileth a man ; but what cometh out of the 
mouth, this defileth a man. Then came His disciples, and said to 
Him : Dost Thou know that the Pharisees, when they heard this 
word, were scandalized ? But He, answering, said : Every plant 
which My heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up. Let 
them alone ; they are blind, and leaders of the blind ; and if the 
blind lead the blind, both fall into the pit 

11, 12. Christ and the Pha?'isees. — When Christ and His 
disciples came in a ship into the parts of Dalmanutha, the Pharisees 
came forth, and began to question with Him, asking Him a sign 



320 Discourses of Jesus Christ, -Ja.d. 30-33^ 

from heaven, tempting Him. And sighing deeply in spirit, He 
saith : Why doth this generation ask a sign ? Amen I say to you, 
If a sign shall be given to this generation. And leaving them, He 
went up again into the ship, and passed to the other side of the 
water. And they forgot to take bread, and they had but one loaf 
with them in the ship. And He charged them, saying : Take heed 
and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of 
Herod. And they reasoned among themselves, saying : Because we 
have no bread; which Jesus knowing, said to them: Why do you 
reason, because you have no bread ? Do you not yet know nor 
understand ? Have you still your heart blinded ? Having eyes, 
see you not ? And having ears, hear you not ? Neither do you 
remember when I broke the five loaves among five thousand ; how 
many baskets full of fragments took you up ? They say to Him : 
Twelve. When also the seven loaves among four thousand; how 
many baskets of fragments took you up ? And they say to Him : 
Seven. And He said to them : How do you not yet understand ? 

13. Christ on Elias. — After the transfiguration, as Jesus, with 
His disciples, was coming down the mountain, He said: Tell the 
vision to no man till the Son of Man be risen from the dead. And 
His disciples asked Him, saying: Why, then, do the Scribes say that 
Ehas must come first ? But He, answering, said to them : EUas 
indeed shall come, and restore all things; but I say to you that 
Elias is already come, and they knew him not, but have done unto 
him whatsoever they had a mind. So also the Son of Man "shall 
suffer from them. Then the disciples understood that He had 
spoken to them of John the Baptist. 

14. Christ oti the Little Child. — When Christ and His disciples had 
entered into a house in Capharnaum, He asked them : What did 
you treat of in the way ? But they held their peace; for in the way 
they had disputed among themselves which of them should be the 
greatest. And sitting down. He called the twelve, and saith to 
them : If any man desire to be first, he shall be the last of all, and 
the minister of all. And taking a child, He set him in the midst 
of them, whom when He had embraced, He saith to them : Whoso- 



DiscoiLTses of Jesus Christ. 



ever shall receive one such child as this in My name, receiveth Me; 
and whosoever shall receive Me, receiveth not Me, but Him that 
sent Me. 

15, 16. Christ to His Apostles. — In the same house at Caphar- 
naum, St. John said: ^Master, we saw one casting out devils in Thy 
name, who followeth not us, and we forbade him. But Jesus said : Do 
not forbid him, for there is no man that doth a miracle in My name, 
and can soon speak ill of Me; for he that is not against you is for 
you. For whosoever shall give you to drink a cup of water in My 
name, because you belong to Christ, amen I say to you, he shall 
not lose His reward. And whosoever shall scandalize one of these 
litde ones that believe in Me, it were better for him that a mill-stone 
were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. And if 
thy hand scandalize thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into 
life maimed, than, having two liands, to go into hell, into unquench- 
able fire, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extin- 
guished. And if thy foot scandalize thee, cut it off: it is better for 
thee to enter lame into life everlasting, than, having two feet, to be 
cast into the hell of unquenchable fire, where their worm dieth not, 
and the fire is not extinguished. And if thy eye scandalize thee, 
pluck it out : it is better for thee witli one eye to enter into the 
kingdom of God, than, having two eyes, to be cast into the hell of 
fire, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished. 
For every one shall be salted with fire, and every victim shall be 
salted with salt. Salt is good; but if the salt become unsavory, 
wherewith will you season it ? Have salt in you, and have peace 
among you. 

17, 18. Christ to His Disciples. — In correction and forgive- 
ness. He says: But if thy brother shall offend against thee, go and 
rebuke him between thee and him alone; if he shall hear thee, thou 
shalt gain thy brother; and if he will not hear thee, take with thee 
one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every 
word may stand. And if he will not hear them, tell the church, and 
if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen 
and publican. Amen I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon 



322 Discourses of Jesus Christ. -Ja.d 30-3314 

earth shall be bound also in heaven, and whatsoever you shall loose 
upon earth shall be loosed also in heaven. Again I say to you, that 
if two of you shall consent upon earth concerning anything whatso- 
ever they shall ask, it shall be done to them by My Father who is in 
heaven ; for where there are two or three gathered together in My 
name, there am I in the midst of them. Then came Peter unto 
Him, and said : Lord, how often shall my brother offend against 
me and I forgive him ? till seven times ? Jesus saith to him : I say 
not to thee till seven times, but till seventy times seven times. 

19. Christ and the Feast of Tabernacles. — Christ was in Galilee, 
and would not go into Judea. Then His brethren said to Him : 
Pass from hence, and go into Judea, that Thy disciples also may see 
Thy works which Thou dost; for there is no man that doth any- 
thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly; if Thou 
do these things, manifest Thyself to the world. For neither did His 
brethren believe in Him. Then Jesus said to them : My time is 
not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot 
hate you, but Me' it hateth, because I give testimony of it, that the 
works thereof are evil. Go you up to this festival day, but I go 
not up to this festival day, because My time is not accomplished. 
When He had said these things, He Himself staid in Galilee. But 
after His brethren were gone up, then He also went up to the feast, 
not openly, but as it were in secret. The Jews therefore sought 
Him on the festival day, and said: Where is He ? And there was 
much murmuring among the multitude concerning Him ; for some 
said : He is a good man ; and others said : No, but he seduceth 
the people. Yet no man spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews. 
Now, about the midst of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple 
and taught. And the Jews wondered, saying : How doth this man 
know letters, having never learned ? Jesus answered them and 
said : My doctrine is not Mine, but His that sent Me. If any man 
will do the will of Him, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be 
of God, or whether I speak of Myself. He that speaketh of him- 
self seeketh his own glory, but he that seeketh the glory of Him 
that sent Him, He is true, and there is no injustice in Him. Did 



A.D. 3o-33'/2 [ Discourses of Jesus Christ 323 

»ot Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you keepeth the Law ? 
Why seek you to kill Me ? The multitude answered and said : Thou 
hast a devil : who seeketh to kill Thee ? Jesus answered and said 
to them : One work I have done, and you all wonder; therefore 
Moses gave you circumcisiop (not because it is of Moses, but of the 
fathers), and on the Sabbath day you circumcise a man. If a man 
receive circumcision on the Sabbath day, that the Law of Moses may 
not be broken, are you angry at Me because I have healed the 
whole man on the Sabbath day ? Judge not according to the 
appearance, but judge judgment. Some therefore of Jerusalem 
said : Is not this He whom they seek to kill ? And behold He 
speaketh openly, and they say nothing to Him. Have the rulers 
known for a truth that this is the Christ ? But we know this man 
whence He is; but when the Christ cometh, no man knoweth 
whence He is. Jesus therefore cried out in the temple, teaching and 
saying : You both know Me, and you know whence I am, andl am 
not come of Myself, but He that sent Me is true, whom you know 
not. I know Him, because I am from Him, and He hath sent Me. 
They sought therefore to apprehend Him, and no man laid hands 
on Him, because His hour was not yet come. But of the people 
many believed in Him, and said : When the Christ cometh, shall 
He do more miracles than these which this man doth ? The Phari- 
sees heard the people murmuring these things concerning Him, 
and the rulers and Pharisees sent ministers to apprehend Him. 
Jesus therefore said to them : Yet a little while I am with you, and 
then I go to Him that sent Me. You shall seek Me, and shall not 
find Me ; and where I am, thither you cannot come. The Jews there- 
fore said among themselves : Whither will He go, that we shall not 
find Him ? Will He go ':nto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and 
teach the Gentiles ? What is this saymg that He hath said : You shall 
seek Me, and shall not find Me, and where I am you cannot come? 
And on the last and great day of the festivity, Jesus stood and cried, 
saying: If any man thirst, let him come to Me and drink. He that 
believeth in Me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow 
rivers of living water. Now, this He said of the Spirit, which they 



324 Discourses of Jesus Christ. |a.d.3c^33>^ 

should receive who believed in Him ; for as yet the Spirit was not 
given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. Of trjat multitude, 
therefore, when they had heard these words of His, some said : 
This is the prophet indeed. Others said : This is the Christ. But 
some said :■ Doth the Christ come out of Galilee ? Doth not the 
Scripture say that Christ cometh of the seed of David, and from 
Bethlehem, th« town where David was. So there arose a dissension 
among the people because of Him. A.nd some of them would have 
apprehended Him, but no man laid hands upon Him. The minis, 
ters, therefore, came to the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they 
said to them : Why have you not brought Him ? The ministers 
answered : Never did man speak like this man. The Pharisees 
therefore answered them : Are you also seduced ? Hath any one 
of the rulers believed in Him, or of the Pharisees? But this 
muldtude that knoweth not the law are accursed. Nicodemus said 
to them, he that came to Him by night, who was one of them : Doth 
our law judge any man unless it first hear him, and know what he 
doth ? They answered and said to him : Art thou also a Galilean ? 
Search the Scriptures, and see that out of Galilee a prophet riseth 
not. And every man returned to his own house. 

20. Christ and the Womaji taken in adultery. — The Scribes and 
Pharisees bring unto Him a woman taken in adultery, and they set 
her in the midst, and said to Him : Master, this woman was even 
now taken in adultery. Now, Moses in the Law commanded us to 
stone such a one. But what sayest Thou ? This they said tempting 
Him, that they might accuse Him. But Jesus, bowing Himself down, 
wrote with his finger on the ground. When, therefore, they 
continued asking Him, he lifted up Himself, and said to them : He 
that is without sin among you let him first cast a stone at lier. And 
again stooping down, he wrote on the ground. But tliey, hearing 
this, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, and Jesus alone 
remained, and the woman standing in the midst. Then Jesus, lifting 
up Himself, said to her : Woman, where are they that accused thee ? 
Hath no man condemned thee ? Who said : No man, Lord. Jesus 
said : Neither will I condemn thee. Go, and now sin no more. 



A.D.3o-33>^[ Disco7irses of Jestis Christ, 325 

21. Clwist to the Pharisees 07i His Diviiiiiy. — Again, therefore, Jesus 
spoke to them, saying : I am the Hght of the world ; he that fol- 
lovveth Me walketh not in darkness, but shall have the light of life. 
The Pharisees therefore said to Him : Thou givest testimony of 
Thyself: Thy testimony is not true. Jesus answered and said to 
them : Although I give testimony of Myself, My testimony is true ; 
for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but you know not 
whence I come, or whither I go. You judge according to the 
flesh; I judge not any man. And if I do judge, my judgment is 
true ; because I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent Me. 
And '\\\ your law it is written that the testimony of two men is true. 
I am one that give testimony of Myself; and the Father that sent 
Me giveth testimony of Me. They said therefore to Him : Where 
is Thy Father ? Jesus answered: Neither Me do you know, nor 
My Father; if you did know Me, perhaps you would know My 
Father also. These words Jesus spoke in the treasury teaching in 
the temple; and no man laid hands on Him, because His hour was 
not yet come. Again, therefore, Jesus said to them % I 'rtp, ?<w^ you 
shall seek Me, and you shall die in your sin. Whither I go you 
cannot come. The Jews therefore said : Will He kill Himself, be- 
cause He said : Whither I go you cannot come ? And He said to 
them : You are from beneath, I am from above. You are of this 
world, I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you 
shall die in your sins ; for if you believe not that I am He, you shall 
die in your sin. They said therefore to Him : Who art Thou ? 
Jesus said to them : The beginning, who also speak unto you. Many 
things I have to speak and to judge of you; but He that sent Me 
is true, and the things I have heard of Him, these same I speak in 
the world. And they understood not that He called God His 
Father. Jesus therefore said to them : When you shall have lifted 
up the Son of Man, then shall you know that I am He, and that I 
do nothing of myself, but as the Father hath taught me ; these 
things I speak. And He that sent Me is with Me, and He 
hath not left Me alone; for I do always the things that please Him. 
When He spoke these things, many believed in Him. Then Jesus 



326 Discourses of Jesus Christ |a.d. 3033)$ 

said to those Jews who beHeved Him : If you continue in My word, 
you shall be My disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and 
the truth shall make you free. They answered Him : We are the 
seed of Abraham, and we have never been slaves to any man ; how 
sayest Thou : You shall be free ? Jesas answered them : Amen, 
amen I say unto you, that whosoever committeth sin is the servant 
of sin. Now, the servant abideth not in the house for ever; but the 
son abideth for ever ; if, therefore, the son shall make you free, you 
shall be free indeed. I know that you are the children of Abraham ; 
but you seek to kill Me, because My word hath no place in you. I 
speak that which I have seen with My Father, and you do the things 
that you have seen with your father. They answered and said to 
Him : Abraham is our father. Jesus saith to them : If you be the 
children of Abraham, do the works of Abraham. But now you seek 
to kill Me, a man who have spoken the truth to you, which I have 
heard of God ; this Abraham did not. You do the works of your 
father. They said therefore to Him : We are not born of fornica- 
tion ; we have one Father, even God. Jesus therefore said to them : 
If God were your father, you would indeed love Me; for from God 
I proceeded and came ; for I came not of Myself, but He sent Me. 
Why do you not know my speech ? Because you cannot hear My 
word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your 
father you will do; he was a murderer from the beginning, and he 
stood not in the truth, because truth is not in him ; when he speaketh 
a lie, he speaketh of his own ; for he is a liar, and the father 
thereof. But if I say the truth, you believe Me not. Which of you 
shall convince Me of sin ? If I say the trut.li to you, why do you 
not believe Me? He that is of God heareth the words of God. 
Therefore you hear them not, because you are not of God. The 
Jews therefore answered and said to Him : Do not we say well that 
Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil ? Jesus answered : I have 
not a devil ; but I honor My Father, and you have dishonored Me. 
But I seek not My own glory ; there is One that seeketh and judgeth. 
Amen, amen I say to you, if any man keep My word, he shall not 
see death for ever. The Jews therefore said : Now we know that 



Discou7^ses of Jesus Christ. 327 

Thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and Thou 
sayest : If any man keep My word, he shall not taste death for ever. 
Art Thou greater than our father Abraham who is dead ? and the 
prophets are dead. Whom dost Thou make Thyself? Jesus 
answered : If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father 
that glorifieth Me, of whom you say that He is your God. And you 
have not known Him, but I know Him; and if I shall say that I 
know Him not, I shall be like to you, a liar. But I do know Him, 
and do keep His word. Abraham your father rejoiced that he might 
see My day ; he saw it, and was glad. The Jews therefore said to 
Him : Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast Thou seen Abra- 
ham ? Jesus said to them : Amen, amen I say to you, before 
Abraham was made, I am. They took up stones, therefore, to cast 
at Him ; but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple. 

22. Christ to one of His Disciples — AVhen Christ had prayed, one 
of His disciples said to Him : Lord, teach us to pray, as John also 
taught His disciples. And He said to them : When you pray, say: 
Father, hallowed be Thy name ; Thy kingdom come ; give us this 
day our daily bread ; and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive 
everyone that is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation. 
And He said to them : Which of you shall have a friend, and shall 
go to him at midnight, and shall say to him : Friend, lend me three 
loaves, because a friend of mine is come off his journey to me, and I 
have not what to set before him ; and he from within should answer 
and say : Trouble me not ; the door is now shut, and my children 
are with me in bed ; I cannot rise and give thee. Yet if he shall 
continue knocking, I say to you, although he will not rise and give 
him because he is his friend, yet, because of his importunity, he will 
rise, and give him as many as he needeth. And I say to you, Ask, 
and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it 
shall be opened to you. For every one that asketh, receiveth; and 
he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be" 
opened. And which of you, if he ask his father for bread, will he give 
him a stone ? or a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent ? or if 
he shall ask an t^g^ will he reach him a scorpion ? If you, then, 



3 2^ Discourses of Jesus Christ JA.D.so-^syj 

being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much 
more will your Father from heaven give the good Spirit to them that 
ask Him ? 

23. Christ to a certaiji man. — A certain man said to him : Lord, 
are th^y few that are saved ? But He said to them : Strive to enter 
by the narrow gate; for many, I say to you, shall seek to enter, and 
shall not be able. But when the Master of the house shall be gone 
in, and shall shut to the door, you shall begin to stand without, and 
knock at the door, saying: Lord, open to us. And He, answering, 
shall say to you : I know you not whence you are. Then you shall 
begin to say : We have eaten and drunk in Thy presence, and Thou 
hast taught in our streets. And He shall say to you : I know you 
not whence you are; depart from Me all ye workers of iniquity. 
There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you shall see 
Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the king- 
dom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And there shall come 
from the East, and the West, and the North, and the South, and 
shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And behold, they are last 
that shall be first, and they are nrst that shall be last. 

24, Christ to the Midtitudes. — And there went great multitiirdes 
with Him, and, turning. He said to them : If any man come to Me, 
and hate not his father, and mother, and .wife, and children, and 
brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My 
dist'ple. And whosoever doth not carry his cross and come after 
Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, having a mind to 
build a tower, doth not first sit down and reckon the charges that 
are necessary, whether he have wherewithal to finish it, lest, after ne 
hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that see it 
begin to mock him, saying : This man began to build, and was not 
able to finish ? Or what king, about to go to make war against 
another king, dot!) not first sit down and think whether he be able 
v.'ith ten thousand to meet him that with twenty thousand cometh 
against him ? Or else, whilst the other is yet afar off, sending an em- 
bassy, he desireth conditions of peace ? So likewise every one of you 
that doth not renounce all that he possesseth cannot be My disciple. 



A.D. 3D-33.V j- Discottrses of Jesus Christ. 329 

25. Christ to the Pharisees. — Being asked by the Pharisees how the 
kingdom of God should come, Christ answered : The kingdom of 
God Cometh not with observation. Neither shall they say : Behold 
here, or behold there. For, lo, the kingdom of God is within you. 
And He said to His disciples: The days will come when you shall 
desire to see one day of the Son of Man, and you shall not see it. 
And they will say to you : See here, and see there. Go ye not after 
nor follow them ; for as the lightning that lighteneth from under 
heaven shineth unto the parts that are under heaven, so shall the 
Son of Man be in His day. But first He mus-t suffer many things, 
and be rejected by this generation. And as it came to pass in the 
days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man. They 
did eat and drink; they married wives and were given in marriage, 
until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came and 
destroyed them all. Likewise, as it came to pass in the days of Lot, 
they did eat and drink, they bought and sold, they planted and built; 
and in the day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brim- 
stone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be 
in the day when the Son of a\Ian shall be revealed. In that hour, he 
that shall be on the house-top, and his goods in the house, let him 
not go down to take them away ; and he that- shall be in the field, 
in like manner let him not return back. Remember Lot's wife. 
Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it, and whosoever 
shall lose it shall preserve it. I say to you, in that night there 
shall be two men in one bed ; the one shall be taken, and the other 
shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall 
be taken, and the other shall be left. Two men shall be in the field ; 
the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. They, answering, 
say to Him : Where, Lord ? Who said to them : Wheresoever the 
body shall be, thither will the eagles also be gathered together. 

26. Christ to the Saddiuees. — There came to Him the Sadducees, 
who say there is no resurrection, and asked Him, saying: Master, 
Moses said : If a man die having no son, his brother shall marry his 
wife, and raise up issue to his brother. Now, there were with us 
seven brethren, and the first, having married a wife, died, and, not 



330 Disccurses of Jesus Christ, -■ a.d. 30-33^^ 

having issue, left his wife to his brother. In hke manner, the second, 
and the third, and so on to the seventh, and last of all the woman 
died also. At the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven 
shall she be ? for they all had her. And Jesus, answering, said to 
them : You err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. 
For in the resurrection they shall neither marry nor be married, but 
shall be as the angels of God in heaven. And concerning the 
•resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken 
by God, saying to you : I am the God of Abraham, and the God of 
Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but 
•of the living. And the multitudes, hearing it, were in admiration at 
His doctrine. 

27. Christ to the Pharisees on the g7'eat commandment^ and o?i Who 
4s David^s Son ? — But the Pharisees, hearing that He had silenced 

the Sadducees, came together. And one of them, a doctor of the 
law, asked Him, tempting Him : Master, which is the great com- 
mandment in the Law ? Jesus said to him : Thou shalt love the 
Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and 
with thy whole mind; this is the greatest and the first command- 
ment. And the second is like to this : Thou shalt love thy neighbor 
• as thyself. On these two commandments dependeth the whole Law 
and the prophets. And the Pharisees being gathered together, 
Jesus asked them, saying : What think you of Christ ? Whose son is 
He? They say to Him.- David's. He saith to them : How, then, 
doth David in spirit call Him Lord, saying : The Lord said to my 
Lord : Sit on My right hand, until I make Thy enemies Thy foot- 
stool ? If David, then, call Him Lord, how is He his sOn ? And no 
man was able to answer Him a word ; neither durst any man from 
that day forth ask Him any more questions. 

28. Christ to the Multitudes and His Disciples. — Speaking on the 
Scribes and Pharisees, Christ said: The Scribes and the Pharisees 
have sitten on the chair of Moses. All things therefore whatsoever 
they shall say to you, observe and do ; but according to their works 
do ye not, for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy and in- 
sjapportable burdens, and lay them on men's shoulders ; but with a 



A D. 30-33 



[ Discoitrses of Jesus Christ. 331 



finger of their own they will not move them. And all their works 
they do for to be seen of men, for they make their phylacteries broad, 
and enlarge their fringes. And they love the first places at feasts, 
and the first chairs in the synagogues, and salutations in the market- 
place, and to be called by men Rabbi. But be not you called 
Rabbi, for One is your Master, and all you are brethren. And call 
none your father upon earth, for One is your Father who is in 
heaven. Neither be ye called masters, for One is your Master, 
Christ. He that is the greatest among you shall be your servant, 
and whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled, and he that 
shall humble himself shall be exalted. But wo to you, Scribes and 
Pharisees, hypocrites ! because you shut the kingdom of heaven 
against men ; for you yourselves do not enter in, and those that are 
going in you suffer not to enter. Wo to you, Scribes and Pharisees, 
hypocrites ! because you devour the houses of widows, praying long 
prayers ; for this you shall receive the greater judgment. Wo to 
you. Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you go round about 
the sea and the land to make one proselyte ; and when he is made, 
you make him the child of hell twofold more than yourselves. Wo 
to you, blind guides, that say : Whosoever shall swear by the tem- 
ple, it is nothing ; but he that shall swear by the gold of the temple 
is a debtor. Ye foolish and blind ! for whether is greater, the gold, 
or the temple that sanctifieth the gold ? And whosoever shall 
swear by the altar, it is nothing ; but whosoever shall swear by the 
gift that is upon it is a debtor. Ye blind ! for whether is greater, 
the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift ? He, therefore, that 
sweareth by the altar sweareth by it and by all things that are upon 
it ; and whosoever shall swear by the temple sweareth by it and 
by Him that dwelleth in it; and he that sweareth by heaven 
sweareth by the throne of God and by Him that sitteth thereon. 
Wo to you. Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you 
tithe mint, and anise, and cummin, and have left the weightier 
things of the law, judgment, and mercy, and faith ; these things 
you ought to have done, and not to leave those undone. 
Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel. Wo 



^^2 Discourses of Jesus Christ, ] a 0.30-33^3 

to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! because you make 
clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but within you 
are full of rapine and uncleanness. Thou blind Pharisee ! first 
make clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, that the outside 
may become clean. Wo to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! 
because you are like to vvhited sepulchres, which outwardly appear 
to men beautiful, but which are full of dead men's bones and of all 
filthiness; so you also outwardly indeed appear to men just, but in- 
wardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Wo to you. Scribes 
and Pharisees, hypocrites ! that build the sepulchres of the prophets, 
and adorn the monuments of the just, and say : If we had been in 
the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with 
them in the blood of the prophets ; wherefore you are witnesses 
against yourselves that you are the sons of them that killed the 
prophets. Fill ye up, then, the measures of your fathers. You ser- 
pents, generation of vipers ! how will you flee from the judgment of 
hell ? Therefore, behold I send to you prophets, and wise men, 
and scribes ; and some of them you will put to death, and crucify, 
and some you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from 
city to city; that upon you may come all the just blood that hath 
been shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the just even 
unto the blood of Zacharias, the son of Barachias, whom you killed 
between the temple and the altar. Amen I say to you, all these 
things shall come upon this generation. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou 
that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, 
how often would I have gathered together thy children, as the hen 
doth gather her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldst not. 
Behold, your house shall be left to you desolate. For I say to you, 
you shall not see Me henceforth till you say : Blessed is He that 
Cometh in the name of the Lord. 

29. Chris fs Last Discourse to His Disciples. — After the Last Supper, 
Christ said : Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, 
believe also in Me. In My Father's house there are many man- 
sions; if not, I would have told you: I go to prepare a place 
for you. And if I shall go and prepare a place for you, I 



A.D.30-33HJ- Discoiwses of Jesus Christ, 2>7)Z 

will come again, and will take you to Myself, that where I am you 
also may be. And whither I go you know, and the way you know. 
Thomas saith to Him : Lord, we know not whither Thou goest, and 
how can we know the way ? Jesus saith to Him : I am the way, 
and the truth, and the life ; no man cometh to the Father but by 
Me. If you had known Me, you would without doubt have known 
My Father also, and from henceforth you shall know Him, and you 
have seen Him. Philip saith to Him : Lord, show us the Father, 
and it is enough for us. Jesus saith to him : So long a time have I 
been with you, and have you not known Me ? Philip, he that 
seeth Me seeth the Father also. How sayest thou : Show us the 
Father ? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the 
Father in Me ? The words that I speak to you I speak not 
of Myself, but the Father who abideth in Me, He doth the works. 
Believe you not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me .^ 
Otherwise believe for the very works' sake. Amen, amen I say to 
you, he that believeth in Me, the works that I do he also shall do, 
and greater than these shall he do, because I go to the Father. 
And whatsoever you shall ask the Father in My name, that will I 
do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall ask 
Me anything in My name, that I will do. If you love me, keep 
My commandments; and I will ask the Father, and He shall give 
you another Paraclete, that He may abide with you for ever, the 
Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him 
not, nor knoweth Him ; but you shall know Him, because He shall 
abide with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you orphans : 
I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth Me no 
more. But you see Me, because I live, and you shall live. In 
that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, 
and I in you. He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, 
he it is that loveth me. And He that loveth Me shall be loved of 
My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him. 
Judas saith to Him, not the Iscariot : Lord, how is it that Thou wilt 
manifest Thyself to us and not to the world ? Jesus answered and 
said to him : If any one love Me, he will keep My word, and My 



334 Discourses of Jesus Christ. ] a.d. 30-331/2 

Father will love him, and we will come to him, and will make our 
abode with him; he that loveth Me not, keepeth not My words. 
And the word which you have heard is not Mine, but the Father's 
who sent Me. These things have I spoken to you, abiding with you. 
But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in 
My name. He will teach you all things, and bring all things to your 
mind whatsoever I shall have said to you. Peace I leave with you, 
My peace I give unto you : not as the world giveth do I give unto 
you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. You 
have heard that I said to you: I go away, and I come unto 
you. If you loved Me, you would indeed be glad, because I go to 
the Father ; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told 
you before it came to pass, that when it shall come to pass you may 
believe. I will not now speak many things with you, for the prince of 
this world cometh, and in Me he hath not anything. But that the 
world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father hath 
given Me commandment, so do I. Arise, let us go hence. I am 
the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in 
Me that beareth not fruit He will take away, and every one that 
beareth fruit He will purge it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 
Now, you are clean by reason of the word which I have spoken to 
you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit 
of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you 
abide in Me. I am the vine, you the branches ; he that abideth in 
Me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit, for without Me you 
can do nothing. If any one abide not in Me, he shall be cast forth 
as a branch, and shall wither, and they shall gather him up, 
and cast him into the fire, and he burneth. If you abide in 
Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask whatever 
you will, and it shall be done unto you. In this is My 
Father glorified, that you bring forth very much fruit, and become 
My disciples. As the Father hath loved Me, I also have loved you. 
Abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you shall abide 
in my love, as I also have kept My Father's commandments, and do 
abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you that My joy 



A.D. 30-33^2 [ Discourses of Jesus Christ. 335 

may be in you, and your joy may be filled. This is my command- 
ment, that you love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love 
than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 
You are My friends, if you do the things that I command you. I 
will not now call you servants, for the servant knoweth not what his 
lord doth. But I have called you friends, because all things what- 
soever I have heard of ]My Father I have made known to you. You 
have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and have appointed you, 
that you should go and should bring forth fruit, and your fruit should 
remain, that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in My name. 
He may give it you. These things I command you, that you love 
one another. If the world hate you, know ye that it hath hated Me 
before you. If you had been of the world, the world Would love its 
own ; but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you 
out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember My 
word that I said to you : The servant is not greater than his master. 
If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you ; if they 
have kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things 
they will do to you for My name's sake, because they know not Him 
that sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would 
not have sin ; but now they have no excuse for their sin. He that 
hateth Me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them 
the works that no other man hath done, they would not have sin; but 
now they have both seen and hated both Me and My Father. But 
that the word may be fulfilled which is written in their Law, they 
hated Me without cause. But when the Paraclete cometh whom I 
will s»nd you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceedeth 
from the Father, he shall give testimony of Me. And you shall give 
testimony, because you are with Me from the beginning. These 
things have I spoken to you that you may not be scandalized. They 
will put you out of the synagogues; yea, the hour cometh that who- 
soever killeth you will think that he doth a service to God. And 
these things will they do to you, because they have not known the 
Father nor Me. But these things I have told you, that when the 
hour shall come you may remember that I told you of them. But I 



2,S^ Discourses of Jesus Christ. |a.d. 30-33^ 

told you not these things from the beginning, because I was with you. 
And now I go to Him that sent Me, and none of you asketh Me, 
Whither goest Thou ? But because I haye spoken these things to 
you, sorrow hath filled your heart. But I tell you the truth, it is 
expedient to you that I go ; for, if I go not, the Paraclete will 
not come to you, but if I go I will send Him to you. And when He 
is come. He will convince the world of sin, and of justice, and of 
judgment. Of sin, because they believed not in Me; of justice, 
because I go to the Father, and you shah see Me no longer; and of 
judgment, because the prince of this world is already judged. I 
have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 
But when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will teach you all truth ; 
for He shall not speak of Himself, but what things soever He shall 
hear He shall speak, and the things that are to come He shall show 
you. He shall glorify Me, because He shall receive of Mine, and 
shall show it to you. All things whatsoever the Father hath are Mine. 
Therefore I said that He shall receive of Mine, and show it to you. 
A little while, and now you shall not see Me ; and again a little 
while, and you shall see Me, because I go to the Father. Then some 
of His disciples said one to another : What is this that He saith to 
us : A little while, and you shall not see Me, and again a little while 
and you shall see Me, and, because I go to the Father ? They said, 
therefore: What is this that He saith, A little while ? We know not 
what He speaketh. And Jesus knew that they had a mind to 
ask Him, and He said to them : Of this do you enquire among 
yourselves because I said : A little while, and you shall not see me, 
and again a little while, and you shall see Me. Amen, amen I say 
to you, that you shall lament and weep, but the world shall rejoice ; 
and you shall be made sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned 
into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, hath sorrow, because her 
hour is come; but, when she hath brought forth the child, she 
remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into 
the world. So also you now indeed have sorrow, but I will see you 
again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man shall take 
from you. And in that day you shall not ask me anything. Amen, 



A.D. 30-3314 j- Discourses of Jesus Christ. 2)Z1 

amen I say to you, if you ask the Father anything in My name, He 
will give it you. Hitherto you have not asked anything in My 
name ; ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full. These 
things I have spoken to you in proverbs. The hour cometh when I 
will no more speak to you in proverbs, but will show you plainly of 
tlie Father. In that day, you shall ask in My name, and I say not 
to you, that I will ask the Father for you ; for the Father Himself 
loveth you because you have loved Me, and have believed that I 
came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come 
into the world ; again I leave the world, and I go to the Father. 
His disciples say to Him : Behold now Thou speakest plainly, and 
speakest no proverb. Now we know that Thou knowest all things, 
and Thou needest not that any man should ask Thee. By this we 
believe that Thou comest forth from God. Jesus answered them : 
Do you now believe ? Behold the hour cometh, and it is now 
come, that you shall be scattered every man to his own, and shall 
leave me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with 
Me. These things I have spoken to you that in Me you may have 
peace. In the world you shall have distress ; but have confidence : 
I have overcome the world. 

30. Jesus Christ's Last Prayer. — After His last discourse, Jesus 
lifted up his eyes to heaven, and prayed: Father, the hour is come; 
glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son may glorify Thee : as Thou hast 
given Him power over all flesh, that He may give eternal life to all 
whom Thou hast given Him. Now, this is eternal life, that they 
may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou 
hast sent. I have glorified Thee on the earth. I have finished the 
work which Thou gavest IVIe to do ; and now glorify Thou Me, O 
Father, with Thyself, with the glory which I had, before the world 
was, with Thee. I have manifested Thy name to the men whom 
Thou hast given Me out of the world. Thine they were, and to Me 
Thou gavest them, and they have kept Thy word. Now, they have 
known that all things which Thou hast given Me are from Thee, 
because tiie words which Thou gavest Me I have given to them, 
and they have received them, and have known in very deed that I 



^^S Discoiirses of Jesus Christ. |a.d. 30-3314 

came out from Thee, and they have beheved that Thou didst send 
Me. I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but for them whom 
Thou hast given Me, because they are Thine, and all My things are 
Thine, and Thine are Mine, and I am glorified in them. And now, 
I am not in the world, and these are in the world, and I come to 
Thee. Holy Father, keep them in Thy name whom Thou hast 
given Me, that they may be one, as we also are. While I was with 
them, I kept them in Thy name. Those whom Thou gavest Me 
have I kept, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that 
the Scripture may be fulfilled. And now I come to Thee, and these 
things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy filled in them- 
selves. I have given them Thy Word, and the world hath hated 
them, because they are not of the world, as I also am not of the 
world. I pray not that Thou shouldst take them out of the world, 
but that Thou shouldst keep them from evil. They are not of the 
world, as I also am not of the world. Sanctify them in truth. Thy 
Word is truth. As Thou hast sent Me into the world, I also have 
sent them into the world. And for them do I sanctify Myself, that 
they also may be sanctified in truth. Not for them only do I pray, 
but for them also who through their word shall believe in Me, 
that they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in Me^ and I in Thee, 
that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that 
Thou hast sent Me. The glory which Thou hast given Me I have 
given to them, that they may be one, as we also are one — I in 
them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one, 
and the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast 
loved them, as Thou hast also loved Me. ■ Father, I will that 
where I am they also whom Thou hast given Me may be with 
Me, that they may see My glory which Thou hast given Me, 
because Thou hast loved Me before the creation of the world. 
Just Father, the world hath not known Thee; but I have known 
Thee, and these have known that Thou hast sent Me, and I 
have made known Thy name to them, and will make it known, 
that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and 
I in them. 



A.D. 3i-33>ir [ Parables of Jesus Christ. 339 

QUESTIONS. 

How many discourses of Christ are recorded by the Evangelists? How 
many given in the foregoing chapter? Which, in your judgment, are the 
most important? Mention the discourses of Christ with the Pharisees? 
Did Christ hold any discourse with the Sadducees? What discourses of 
Christ prove His divinity? Tell in your own words the narrative of 
Christ's discourse with Nicodemus ? With the Samaritan woman ? Give 
the substance of Christ's discourse on the mount? Give the substance of 
Christ's last discourse ? Write out yourself as many independent questions 
as are asked here? 




CHAPTER XLIII. 

THE PARABLES OF JESUS CHRIST. A.D. 31-33^. 

[ARABLE, whose etymological meaning is juxtaposition, 
is applied to two things placed together with some 
point or points of similitude. Sometimes it is the equi- 
valent of a mere narrative, sometimes of the simplest 
argument from analogy, sometimes of the shortest proverb, some- 
times of an obscure prophetic utterance, sometimes of a hidden 
maxim, and sometimes of an expanded metaphor or allegory. 
Christ, as a teacher, made frequent use of parable ; now in one 
sense, now in another. Some set down the parables of Christ at 
twenty-seven, some at thirty, some at thirty-five, and some at as 
high a figure as fifty. I shall bring forward the leading parables in 
the Evangelists. Christ spoke in parables, " that it might be ful- 
filled which was spoken by the prophet, saying : I will open j\Iy 
mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden from the foundation of 
the world " (Matt. xiii. 35). 

I. TJie Sower. — Christ sat by the sea-shore, and, addressing the 
multitude, said : Behold, the sower went forth to sow. And whilst 
he soweth, some fell by the wayside, and the birds of the air came 
and ate them up. And other some fell upon stony ground, where 
they had not much earth: and they sprung up immediately, because 
they had no deepness of earth ; and when the sun was up, they 



3 40 Parables of Jesus Christ. \ a.d. 3t-33>^ 

were scorched ; and because they had not root, they withered away. 
And others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked 
them. And others fell upon good ground, and they brought forth 
fruit, some an hundred-fold, some sixty-fold, and some thirty-fold. 
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And His disciples came 
and said to Him : Why speakest Thou to them in parables ? Who 
answered and said to them : Because to you it is given to know the 
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven ; but to them it is not given. 
For he that hath, to him shall be given, and he shall abound ; but 
he that hath not, from him shall be taken away that also which he 
hath. Therefore do I speak to them in parables ; because seeing 
they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they under- 
stand ;• and the prophecy of Isaias is fulfilled in them, who saith : 
By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand ; and seeing 
you shall see, and shall not perceive. For the heart of this people 
is grown gross, and with their ears they have been dull of hearing, 
and their eyes they have shut ; lest at any time they should see with 
their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, 
and be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your 
eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. For 
amen I say to you, many prophets and just men have desired to see 
the things that you see, and have not seen them ; and to hear the 
things that you hear, and have not heard them. Hear you therefore 
the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the Word of the 
kingdom, and understandeth it not, there cometh the wicked one, 
and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart : this is he that 
received the seed by the wayside. And he • that received the seed 
upon stony ground, this is he that heareth the Word, and imme- 
diately receiveth it with joy ; yet he hath not root in himself, but is 
only for a time ; and when there ariseth tribulation and persecution 
because of the Word, he is presently scandalized. And he that 
received the seed among thorns is he that heareth the Word, and 
the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choketh up the 
Word, and he becometh fruitless. But he that receiveth the seed 
upon good ground, this is he that heareth the word, and under- 



A.D. 3i-33'/3 [ Parables of JesMS Christ. 341 

standeth, and beareth fruit, and yieldeth the one an hundred-fold, 
and another sixty, and another thirty. 

2. The Wheat and Tares. — Christ said : The kingdom of heaven 
is Ukened to a man that sowed good seed in his field; but, while 
men were asleep, his enemy came and oversowed cockle among the 
wheat, and went his way. And when the blade was sprung up, and 
had brought forth fruit, then appeared also the cockle. And the 
servants of the good man of the house, coming, said to him : Sir, 
didst thou not sow good seed in thy field ? Whence, then, hath it 
cockle ? And he said to them : An enemy hath done this. And 
the servants said to him : Wilt thou that we go and gather it up ? 
And he said : No ; lest, perhaps, gathering up the cockle, you root 
up the wheat also together with it. Suffer both to grow up until 
the harvest, and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers : 
Gather up first the cockle, and bind it into bundles to burn, but the 
wheat gather ye into my barn. Then, having sent away the multi- 
tudes,*he came into the house ; and His disciples came to Him, sav- 
ing : Expound to us the parable of the cockle of the field. Who 
made answer and said to them : He that soweth the good seed is 
the Son of Man. And the field is the world. And the good seed 
are the children of the kingdom. And the cockle are the children 
of the wicked one. And the enemy that sowed them is the devil. 
But the harvest is the end of the world. And the reapers are the 
angels. Even as cockle therefore is gathered up and burnt with 
fire, so shall it be at the end of the world : the Son of Man shall 
send his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all scan- 
dals, and them that work iniquity, and shall cast them into the 
furnace of fire. There shall be w-eeping and gnashing of teeth. 
Then shall the just shine as the sun in the kingdom of their father. 
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 

3. The Seed cast into the Ground. — So is the kingdom of God, as if 
a man should cast seed into the earth, and should sleep, and rise, 
night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up whilst he 
knoweth not. For the earth of itself bringeth forth fruit, first the 
blade, the« the ear, afterwards the full corn in the ear, aitd, when 



342 Parables of Jesus Christ. | a.d. 31-33^/2 

the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, 
because the harvest is come. 

4, 5. The Grain of Mustard-seed and the Leaven. — The kingdom 
of heaven is like to a grain of mustard-seed, which a man took and 
sowed in his lield ; which is the least indeed of all seeds, but, when 
it is grown up, it is greater than all herbs, and becometh a tree, so 
that the birds of the air come and dwell in the branches thereof. 
Another parable he spoke to theai : The kingdom of heaven is like 
to leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, 
until the whole was leavened. 

6, 7, 8. The Hidden Treasure^ the Pearly the Net cast into the Sea. — 
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a pearl hidden in a field, which 
a man, having found, hid it, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all 
that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven 
is like to a merchant seeking good pearls; who, when he had 
found one pearl of great price, went his way, and sold all that 
he had, and bought it. Again, the kingdom of heaven ts like 
to a net cast into the sea, and gathering together of all kind of 
fishes, which, when it was filled, they drew out, and, sitting by the 
shore, they chose out the good into vessels, but the bad they cast 
forth. So shall it be at the end of the world : the angels shall go 
out, and shall separate the wicked from among the just, and shall 
cast them into the furnace of fire ; there shall be weeping and gnash- 
ing of teeth. Have ye understood all these things ? They said to 
Him : Yes. He said unto them : Therefore, every scribe instructed 
in the kingdom of heaven is like to a man that is a householder, who 
bringeth forth out of his treasure new things and old. And it came 
to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables. He passed from 
thence. 

9. The Two Debtors. — When Christ was dining with Simon tlie 
Pharisee, a woman that had been a sinner came and anointed his 
feet. Then Christ, seeing the thoughts of Simon's heart, spoke this 
parable: Simon, I have somewhat to say to thee. But he said: 
Master, say it. A certain creditor had two debtors : the one owed 
five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And whereas they had not 



A.D. 3i-33>^ [■ Parables of Jesus Christ. 343 

wherewith to pay, he forgave them both. Which, therefore, of the 
two loveth him most ? Simon, answering, said : I suppose that he 
to whom he forgave most. And He said to him : Thou hast judged 
rightly. And turning to the woman, he said unto Simon : Dost thou 
see this woman ? I entered into thy house ; thou gavest Me no 
water for My feet ; but she with tears hath washed My feet, and with 
her hairs hath wiped them. Thou gavest Me no kiss ; but she, since 
she came in, hath not ceased to kiss My feet. My head with oil 
thou didst not anoint; but she with ointment hath anointed My feet. 
Wherefore I say to thee : Many sins are forgiven her, because she 
hath loved much. But to whom less is forgiven, he loveth less. 
And He said to her : Thy sins are forgiven thee. And they that sat 
at meat with Him began to say within themselves : Who is this that 
forgiveth sins also ? And He said to the woman : Thy faith hath 
made thee safe ; go in peace. 

10. The Good Samaritan. — A lawyer came to Jesus, and asked : 
" Which is the principal commandment, and who is my neighbor ?" 
Jesus answered in a parable : A certain man went down from Jeru- 
salem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, who also stripped him, 
and, having wounded him, went away, leaving him half dead. And 
it chanced that a certain priest went down the same way, and, seeing 
him, passed by. In like manner also a Levite, when he was near the 
place and saw him, passed by. But a certain Samaritan, being on 
his journey, came near him, and, seeing him, was moved with com- 
passion ; and going up to him, bound up his wounds, pouring in 
oil and wine ; and, setting him upon his own beast, brought him to an 
inn, and took care of him. And the next day he took out two pence 
and gave to the host, and said : Take care of him ; and whatsoever 
thou shalt spend over and above, I at my return will repay thee. 
Which of these three, in thy opinion, was neighbor to him that fell 
among the robbers ? But he said : He that showed mercy to him. 
And Jesus said to him : Go and do thou in like manner. 

1 1. The Rich Fool. — Christ speaks against covetousness : The land 
of a certain rich man brought forth plenty of fruits ; and he thought 
within himself, saying : What shall I do, because I have no room 



344 Parables of Jestis Christ \ a.d. 31-33)^ 

where to bestow my fruits ? And he said : This will I do : I will 
pull down my barns, and will build greater ; and into them will I 
gather all things that are grown to me, and my goods. And I will 
say to my soul : Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; 
take thy rest, eat, drink, make good cheer. But God said to him : 
Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee ; and whose 
shall those things be which thou hast provided ? So is he that lay- 
eth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God. And He 
said to His disciples : Therefore I say to you, be not solicitous for 
your life, what you shall eat; nor for your body, what you shall put 
on. The life is more than the meat, and the body is more than the 
raiment. 

12. The Feast of the Great Supper. This parable is spoken 
against worldlings and against the Jews. — A certain man made a 
great supper, and invited many ; and he sent his servant at the hour 
of supper to say to them that were invited that they should come, 
for now all things are ready. And they began all at once to make 
excuse. The first said to him: I have bought a farm, and I must 
needs go out and see it ; I pray thee, hold me excused. And 
another said : I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to try 
them ; I pray thee, hold me excused. And another said : I have 
married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. And the servant, re- 
turning, told these things to his lord. Then the master of the house, 
being angry, said to his servant: Go out quickly into the streets 
and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the feeble, 
and the blind, and the lame. And the servant said : Lord, it is 
done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord 
said to the servant : Go out into the highways and hedges, and 
compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. But I say 
unto you, that none of those men that were invited shall taste of 
my supper. 

13, 14. The Lost Sheep ^ and the Lost Piece of Mo?iey, or an illus- 
tration of the joy of Christ at the repentance of souls. This parable 
was addressed to the Scribes and Pharisees. — What man of you that 
hath an hundred sheep, and if he shall lose one of them, doth he 



I 



A.D. 3i-33x[ Parables of Jesus Christ. 345 

not leave the ninety-nine in the desert, and go after that which was 
lost until he find it, and, when he hath found it, lay it upon his 
shoulders rejoicing, and coming home, call together his friends 
and neighbors, saying to them : Rejoice with me, because I have 
found my sheep that was lost ? I say to you, that even so there 
shall be joy in heaven upon one sinner that doth penance more than 
upon ninety-nine just who need not penance. Or what woman 
having ten groats, if she lose one groat, doth not light a candle and 
sweep the house, and seek diligently, until she find it, and, when 
she hath found it, call together her friends and neighbors, saying : 
Rejoice with me, because I have found the groat which I had lost ? 
So I say to you, there shall be joy before the angels of God upon 
one sinner doing penance. 

1 5. llie Prodigal So?i^ or an example of God's mercy. — A certain man 
had two sons ; and the younger of them said to his father : Father, give 
me the portion of substance that falleth to me. And he divided unto 
them his substance. And not many days after, the younger son, 
gathering all together, went abroad into a far country, and there 
wasted his substance living riotously. And after he had spent all, 
there came a mighty famine in that country, and he began to be in 
want. And he went and cleaved to one of the citizens of that 
country. And he sent him into his farm to feed swine. And he 
would fain have filled his belly with the husks the swine did eat ; 
and no man gave unto him. And returning to himself, he said : 
How many hired servants in my father's house abound with bread, 
and I here perish with hunger! I will arise and will go to my 
father, and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and before 
thee ; I am not now worthy to be called thy son ; make me as one of 
thy hired servants. And rising up, he came to his father. And 
when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and was moved 
with compassion, and running to him fell upon his neck and kissed 
him. And the son said to him : Father, I have sinned against 
heaven and before the^ ; I am not now worthy to be called thy son. 
And the father said to his servants : Bring forth quickly the first 
robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on 



A.o. 31-33;^^ Parables of Jesus Christ, 347 

his feet. And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat 
and make merry. Because this my son was dead, and is come to 
life again; was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. 
Now, his fider son was in the field, and, when he came and drew 
nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one 
of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said 
to him : Thy brother is come, and thy father hath killed the fatted 
calf, because he hath received him safe. And he was angry, and 
would not go in. His father therefore coming out, began to entreat 
him. And he, answering, said to his father : Behold, for so many 
years do I serve thee, and I have never transgressed thy command- 
ment, and yet thou hast never given me a kid to make merry with 
my friends; but as soon as this thy son is come who hath devoured 
his substance with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. 
But he said to him : Son, thou art always with me, and all I have 
is thine. But it was fit that we should make merry and be glad, for 
this thy brother was dead, and is come to Hfe again ; he was lost, and 
is found. 

16. The Unjust Steward, being a parable against injustice and the 
love of mammon. — There was a certain rich man who had a steward, 
and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. 
And he called him, and said to him : How is it that I hear this of thee ? 
Give an account of thy stewardship, for now thou canst be steward 
no longer. And the steward said within himself: What shall I do, 
because my lord taketh away froni me the stewardship ? To dig, I 
am not able ; to beg, I am ashamed. I know what I will do, that 
when I shall be removed from the stewardship they may receive me 
into their houses. Therefore, calling together every one of his lord's 
debtors, he said to the first ; How much dost thou owe my lord ? 
But he said : An hundred barrels of oil. And he said to him : Take 
thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. Then he said to 
another: How much dost thou owe? Who said: An hundred 
quarters of wheat. He said to him : Take thy bilf, and write 
eighty. And the lord commended the unjust steward, for as much 
as he had done wisely ; for the children of this world are wiser in 



34^ Parables of Jesus Christ. | a.d. 31-331/2 

their generation than the children of Hght. And I say to you : 
Make unto you friends of the mammon of iniquity, that when you 
shall fail they may receive you into everlasting dwellings. He that 
is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in that which is 
greater; and he that is unjust in that which is little is unjust also in 
that which is greater. If, then, you have not been faithful in the 
unjust mammon, who will trust you with that which is the true ? 
And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who 
will give you that which is your own ? No servant can serve two 
masters ; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he 
will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God 
and mammon. 

17. The Rich Man and Lazarus : a parable of consolation for 
the suffering. — There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in 
purple and fine linen, and feasted sumptuously every day. And 
there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who lay at his gate, full 
of sores, desiring to be filled with the crumbs that fell from the rich 
man's table, and no one did give him ; moreover, the dogs came and 
licked his sores. And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was 
carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also 
died, and he was buried in hell. And lifting up his eyes when he 
was in torments, he saw Abraham afar ofi", and Lazarus in his 
bosom ; and he cried and said : Father Abraham, have mercy on 
me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, 
to cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. And Abra- 
ham said to him : Son, remember that thou didst receive good 
things in thy lifetime, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he 
is comforted, and thou art tormented ; and besides all this, between 
us and you there is fixed a great chaos, so that they who would pass 
from hence to you cannot, nor from thence come hither. And he 
said : Then, father, I beseech thee that thou wouldst send him to my 
father's house; for I have five brethren, that he may testify unto 
them, lest they also come into this place of torments. And Abra- 
ham said to him : They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear 
tbe:n. But he said : No, father Abraham ; l)ut if one went to them 



A.D. 3i-33'/2 [- Parables of Jesus Christ. 349 

from the dead, they will do penance. And he said to him : If they 
hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will the) believe if one 
rise again from the dead. 

18. The Unjust Judge: a parable to show that we should 
always pray, and not faint. — There was a certain judge in a certain 
city, who feared not God nor regarded man. And there was a cer- 
tain widow in that city, and she came to him, saying : Avenge me 
of my adversary. And he would not for a long time ; but after- 
wards he said within himself: Although I fear not God, nor regard 
man, yet, because this widow is troublesome to rae, I will avenge 
her, lest, continually coming, she at last weary me. And the Lord 
said : Hear what the unjust judge saith. And will not God revenge His 
elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He have patience in 
their regard ? I say to you that he will quickly revenge them. 
But yet the Son of Man, when He cometh, shall He find, think you, 
faith on earth ? 

19. The Pharisee and the Publican: a parable to rebuke the 
proud and the vain. — Two m^en went up into the temple to pray — the 
one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee, standing, 
prayed thus with himself: O God, I give Thee thanks that I am not 
as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, as also is this 
publican ; I fast twice in a week : I give tithes of all that I possess. 
And the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his 
eyes towards heaven, but struck his breast, saying : O God, be 
merciful to me a sinner. I say to you, this man went down into his 
house justified rather than the other, because every one that exalteth 
himself shall be humbled, and he that humbleth himself shall be 
exalted. 

20. The Laborers in the Vineyard, or an illustration of God's 
bountiful goodness, and His perfect freedom of election, calculated 
to inspire confidence and awaken reverence. — The kingdom of 
heaven is like to an householder who went out early in the morning 
to hire laborers into his vineyard. And having agreed with the 
laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And 
going out about the third hour, he saw others standing in the mar- 



350 Parables of Jesus Christ. ] a.d. 31-331/^ 

ket-place idle ; and he said to them : Go you also into my vineyard, 
and I will give you what shall be just. And they went their way. 
Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did in 
like manner. But about the eleventh hour he went out and found 
others standing, and he saith to them : Why stand you here all the 
day idle ? They say to him : Because no man hath hired us. He 
saith to them : Go you also into my vineyard. And when evening 
was come, the lord of the vineyard saith to his steward : Call 
the laborers, and pay them their hire, beginning from the last 
even to the first. When, therefore, they were come that 
came about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. 
But when the first also came, they thought that they should receive 
more, and they also received every man a penny ; and receiving it, 
they murmured against the master of the house, saying : These last 
have worked but one hour, and thou hast made them equal to 
us, that have born the burden of the day and the heats. But 
he, answering, said to one of them : Friend, I do thee no wrong : 
didst thou not agree with me for a penny ? Take what is thine, and 
go thy way ; I will also give to this last even as to thee. Or is it 
not lawful for me to do what I will ? Is thy eye evil because I am 
good ? So shall the last be first, and the first last ; for many are 
called, but few chosen. 

21. The Tell Pounds: a parable to show the accountability of 
man and the justice of God. — A certain nobleman went into a far 
country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return; and calling 
his ten servants, he gave them ten pounds, and said to them : 
Trade till I come. But his citizens hated him, and they sent an 
embassage after him, saying : We will not have this man to reign 
over us. And it came to pass that he returned, having received 
the kingdom ; and he commanded his servants to be called to whom 
he had given the money, that he might know how much every man 
had gained by trading. The first came, saying : Lord, thy pound 
hath gained ten pounds. And he said to him : Well done, thou 
good servant, because thou hast been faithful in a httle, thou shalt 
have power over ten cities. And. the second came, saying : Lord, 



A.D. 3i-33>s j- Parables of Jesus Christ. 351 

thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said to him : Be thou 
also over five cities. And another came, saying : Lord, behold, 
here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin ; for I 
feared thee, because thou art an austere man ; thou takest up what 
thou didst not lay down, and thou reapest that which thou didst 
not sow. He said to him : Out of thy own mouth I judge thee, 
thou wicked servant; thou knewest that I was an austere man, tak- 
ing up what I laid not down, and reaping that which I did not sow. 
Why, then, didst thou not give my money into the bank, that at my 
coming I might have exacted it with usury ? And he said to them 
that stood by : Take the pound away from him, and give to him 
that hath the ten pounds. And they said to him : Lord, he hath 
ten pounds. But I say to you, that to every one that hath shall be 
given, and he shall abound; and from him that hath not, even that 
which he hath shall be taken from him. But as for those my ene- 
mies who would not have me reign over them, bring them hither, 
and kill them before me. 

22, 23. The Door a7id the Good Shepherd: A parable showing 
Christ's watchful care and unbounded love for mankind. — Amen, 
amen, I say to you, he that entereth not by the door into the sheep- 
fold, but cHmbeth up another way, the same is a thief and a robber; 
but he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 
To him the porter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice, and he 
calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out ; and when he 
hath let out his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep 
follow him, because they know his voice; but a stranger they follow 
not, but fly from him, because they know not the voice of 
strangers. This proverb Jesus spoke to them; but they understood 
not what He spoke to them. Jesus therefore said to them again: 
Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep; all others, 
as many as have come, are thieves and robbers, and the sheep heard 
them not. I am the door. By Me if any man enter in he shall be 
saved, and he shall go in, and go out, and shall find pastures. The 
thief Cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am 
come that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly. I 



352 Parables of Jesus Christ, |a.d. 31-333^ 

am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his Ufe for his 
sheep ; but the hirehng and he that is not the shepherd, whose own 
the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep and 
flieth, and the wolf catcheth and scattereth the sheep. And the 
hireling flieth, because he is a hireling, and he hath no care for the 
sheep. I am the good shepherd ; and I know Mine, and Mine 
know Me, as the Father knoweth Me, and I know the Father; 
and I lay down My life for My sheep. And other sheep I. have that 
are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear My 
voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. Therefore 
doth the Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I may 
take it again. No man taketh it away from Me; but I lay it down 
of Myself, and I have power to lay it down, and I have power to 
take it up again. This commandment have I received of My 
Father. 

24. The Marriage Feast, or an example of God's anger and pun- 
ishment. — The kingdom of heaven is likened to a king who made a 
marriage for his son. And he sent his servants to call them that were 
invited to the marriage, and they would not come. Again he sent 
other servants, saying : Tell them that were invited, behold, I have 
prepared my dinner, my beeves and fathngs are killed, and all things 
are ready; come ye to the marriage. But they neglected, and went 
their ways, one to his farm, and another to his merchandise. And 
the rest laid hands on his servants, and, having treated them contu- 
meliously, put them to death. But when the king had heard of it, he 
was angry, and, sending his armies, he destroyed those murderers, 
and burned their city. Then he saith to his servants : The marriage 
indeed is ready, but they that were invited were not worthy. Go ye 
therefore into the highways, and as many as you shall find call to 
the marriage. And his servants, going forth into the ways, gathered 
together all that they found, both bad and good, and the marriage 
was filled with guests. And the king went in to see the guests, and 
he saw there a man who had not on a wedding-garment. He saith 
to him : Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having on a wedding- 
garment ? But he was silent. Then the king said to the waiters : 



A.D. 3i-33>^ [- Pa7^ables of Jesus Christ. 353 

Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the exterior darkness; 
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth ; for many are called, but 
few are chosen. 

25. The Narrow Gate : a parable to explain the necessity of 
watchfulness, zeal, and incessant struggle for our salvation. — Strive 
to enter by the narrow gate; for many, I say to you, shall seek to 
enter, and shall not be able. But when the Master of the house 
shall be gone in, and shall shut to the door, you shall begin to stand 
without, and knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to us ; and He, 
answering, shall say to you, I know you not whence you are. Then 
you shall begin to say : We have eaten and drunk in Thy presence, 
and Thou hast taught in our streets. And He shall say to you : I know 
you not whence you are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. 
There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you shall see 
Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom 
of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And there shall come from 
the east, and the west, and the north, and the south, and shall sit 
down in the kingdom of God. And behold, they are last that shall 
be first, and they are first that shall. be last. 

26. The Wise afid Foolish Virgins : a parable to illustrate the 
necessity of vigilance and wisdom. — Then shall the kingdom of 
heaven be like to ten virgins, who, taking their lamps, went out to 
meet the bridegroom and the bride. And five of them were foolish, 
and five wise. But the five foolish, having taken their lamps, did 
not take oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with the 
lamps. And the bridegroom tarrying, they all slumbered and slept. 
At midnight there was a cry made : Behold the bridegroom cometh ; 
go ye forth to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed 
their lamps, and the foolish said to the wise: Give us of your oil, for 
our lamps are gone out. The^wise answered, saying : Lest perhaps 
there be not enough for us and for you, go you rather to them that 
sell, and buy for yourselves. Now, whilst they went to buy, the 
bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the 
marriage, and the door was shut. But at last come also the other 
virgins, saying : Lord, Lord, open to us. But He, answering, said : 



354 Parables of Jesus Christ. ] a.d. 31-331/2 

Amen I say to you, I know you not. Watch ye, therefore, because 
you know not the day nor the hour. 

27. Tlie Sheep and the Goats : a parable to show the final separa- 
tion of the good and the wicked when all nations shall be assembled 
at the general judgment.— The King shall set the sheep on His right 
hand, but the goats on His left. Then shall the King say to them 
that shall be on His right hand : " Come ye blessed of My Father, 
possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the 
world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me to eat ; I was thirsty, 
and you gave Me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in; 
naked, and you covered Me ; sick, and you visited Me ; I was in 
prison, and you came to Me. Then shall the just answer Him, 
saying : Lord, when did we see Thee hungry, and fed Thee ; thirsty, 
and gave Thee drink ? And when did we see Thee a stranger, and 
took Thee in ; or naked, and covered Thee ? Or when did we see 
Thee sick or in prison, and came to Thee ? And the King, answer- 
ing, shall say to them : Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to 
one of these My least brethren, you did it to Me. Then He shall 
say to them also that shall be on His left hand : Depart from Me, 
you cursed, into everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil and 
his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave Me not- to eat; I was 
thirsty, and you gave Me not to drink; I was a stranger, and you 
took Me not in ; naked, and you covered Me not ; sick, and in 
prison, and you did not visit Me. Then they al?o shall answer Him, 
saying : Lord, when did we see Thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, 
or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to Thee ? Then 
He shall answer them, saying : Amen I say to you, as long as you 
did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to Me. And 
these shall go into everlasting punishment, but the just into life 
everlasting. 

QUESTIONS. 

What is a parable ? Give its different applications ? How many parables 
in the Evangelists? Mention the twenty-seven parables given in the fore- • 
going chapter? State the parable of the wheat and tares ? Give its explana- 
tion ? Mention the parables that refei to the kingdom of heaven? Mention 



A.D. 30-33V2} Miracles of Jesus Christ. 355 

the parables that are explained by Christ ? Write in your own words the 
parable of Lazarus and the rich man ? Ask five questions yourself on the 
foregoing parables ? 




CHAPTER XLIV. 

MIRACLES OF JESUS CHRIST. — A.D. 30-33^. 

MIRACLE is a suspension of the laws by which God 
in His providence rules this world. While Jesus Christ, 
the Son of God, was fulfilling His mission and preach- 
ing His covenant to the world. He suspended the laws 
of nature from time to time that men might recognize His ministry, 
believe His doctrines, and obey His commands. The exact number 
of miracles worked by Christ while on earth is unknown ; but the 
records of the Evangelists would lead us to place it at a high and 
indefinite number. The details of about thirty are found in the four 
Gospels. To establish His mission and to verify His doctrine, Christ 
manifested His power over the elements, diseases, devils, the senses, 
and death. 

I. THE ELEMENTS. 

I. Water cha?iged into Wine. — There was a marriage in Can a 
of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. And Jesus also was 
invited, and his disciples, to the marriage. And the wine failing, the 
mother of Jesus saith to Him : They have no wine. And Jesus saith 
to her : Woman, what is it to me and to thee ? My hour is not yet 
come. His mother saith to the waiters : Whatsoever He shall say 
to you, do ye. Now, there were set there six water-pots of stone, 
according to the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two 
or three measures apiece. Jesus saith to them : Fill the water-pots 
with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And Jesus saith 
to them : Draw out now, and carry to the chief steward of the feast. 
And they carried it. And when the chief steward had tasted the 
water made wine, and knew not whence it was, but the waiters knew 
who had drawn the water, the chief steward calleth the bridegroom, 




^ 






m 



A.D. 30-33^2 [ Miracles of Jesus Christ, 357- 

and saith to him : Every man at first setteth forth good wine, and, 
when men have well drunk, then that which is worse ; but thou hast 
kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus 
in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed 
in him. 

2. Christ stills a Storm. — When Jesus entered into the boat, His 
disciples followed Him ; and behold a great tempest arose in the 
sea, so that the boat was cov&red with waves; but He was asleep. 
And His disciples came to Him, and awaked Him, saying : Lord, 
save us, we perish. And Jesus saith to them : Why are you fearful, 
O ye of little faith ? Then rising up. He commanded the winds, and 
the sea, and there came a great calm. But the men wondered, say- 
ing : What manner of man is this ? for the winds and the sea obey 
Him. 

3. Christ feeds five thousa?id with five Loaves and two Fishes. — When 
Jesus, in the third year of His ministry, went over the Sea of Galilee, 
a great multitude followed Him; and having seen the multitude. He 
had compassion on them, because they were as sheep not having a 
shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. And when 
the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him, saying : 
This is a desert place, and the hour is now past ; send them away, 
that, going into the next villages and towns, they may buy them- 
selves meat to eat. And He, answering, said to them : Give you 
them to eat. And they said to Him : Let us go and buy bread for 
two hundred pence, and we will give them to eat. And He saith to 
them : How many loaves have you ? go and see. And when they 
knew, they say : Five, and two fishes. And He commanded them 
that they should make them all sit down by companies upon the 
green grass. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds and by 
fifdes. And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, 
looking up to heaven, He blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave to 
His disciples to set before them ; and the two fishes He divided 
among them all. And they all did eat, and had their fill. And 
they took up the leavings, twelve full baskets of fragments, and of 
the fishes. And they that did eat were five thousand men. 



A.D. 3o-33'/4 Miracles of Jesus Christ. 359 

4. Christ feeds over four thousand Persons with seven Loaves and a 
few little Fishes. — In the third year of His preaching, when Jesus 
came near to the Sea of Galilee, He went up to a mountain and sat 
there. And there came to Him great multitudes, having with them 
the dumb, the blind, the lame, the maimed, and many others ; and 
they cast them down at His feet, and He healed them ; so that the 
multitudes marvelled seeing the dumb speak, the lame walk, the 
blind see ; and they glorified the God of Israel. And Jesus called 
together His disciples, and said : I have compassion on the multi- 
tude, because they continue with Me now three days, and have not 
what to eat ; and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint 
in the way. And the disciples say unto Him : Whence, then, should 
we have so many loaves in the desert as to fill so great a multitude ? 
And Jesus said to them : How many loaves have you? But they 
said : Seven, and a few httle fishes. And He commanded the mul- 
titude to sit down upon the ground. And taking the seven loaves 
and the fishes, and giving thanks. He brake, and gave to His disci- 
ples, and the disciples gave to the people. And they did all eat, and 
had their fill. And they took up seven baskets full of what remained 
of the fragments. And they that did eat were four thousand men, 
besides children and women. And having dismissed the multitude. 
He went up into a boat, and came into the coasts of Magedan. 

5. The Transfiguratio7i. — In this miracle, Christ manifested His 
glory to Peter, James, and John. Jesus went up into a mountain 
to pray. And whilst He prayed, the shape of his countenance was 
altered ; and his raiment became white and glittering. And behold 
two men were talking with Him. And they were Moses and Elias, 
appearing in majesty ; and they spoke of His decease that He should 
accomplish in Jerusalem. But Peter and they that were with him 
were heavy with sleep. And awakening, they saw His glory, and 
the two men that stood with Him. And it came to pass that as 
they were departing from Him, Peter saith to Jesus : Master, it is 
good for us to be here ; and let us make three tabernacles, one for 
Thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias ; not knowing what he 
said. And as he spoke these things, there came a cloud and over- 










51 









-u. 3o-.33>i '^ Miracles of Jesus Christ. 361 

shadowed them ; and they were afraid when they entered into the 
cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying : This is My 
beloved Son, hear Him, And whilst the voice was uttered, Jesus 
was found alone. And they held their peace, and told no man in 
tiiose days any of these things which they had seen. 

6. Christ walks o?i the Sea. — After the miracle of the loaves and 
fishes, Christ was on the sea-shore, and His disciples in a ship, and 
seeing them laboring in rowing (for the wind was against them), and 
it was about the fourth watch of the night. He cometh to them walking 
upon the sea ; and He would have passed by them. But they, see- 
ing Him walking upon the sea, thought it was an apparition, and 
they cried out. For they all saw Him, and were troubled. And 
immediately He spoke with them, and said to them: Have a good 
heart, it is I, fear ye not. And He went up to them into the ship, 
and the wind ceased : and they were far more astonished within 
themselves. 

7. At the crucifixion, the sun was darkened, and the earth trem- 
bled, and the dead arose and appeared to many. 

III. DISEASES. 

I. Christ heals the Noblema?i's Son. — Jesus came again, therefore, 
into Cana of Galilee, where He made the water wine. And there 
was a certain ruler whose son was sick at Capharnaum. He, having 
heard that Jesus was come from Judea into Galilee, went to Him, 
and prayed Him to come down and heal his son ; for he was at the 
point of death. Jesus therefore said to him : Unless you see signs 
and wonders, you believe not. The ruler saith to Him : Lord, 
come down before that my son die. Jesus saith to him : Go thy 
way, thy son liveth. The man believed the word which Jesus said 
to him, and went his way. And as he was going down, his servants 
met him ; and they brought word, saying that his son lived. He 
asked therefore of them the hour wherein he grew better. And 
they said to him : Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. 
The father therefore knew that it was at the same hour that Jesus said 
to him : Thy son liveth ; and himself believed, and his whole house. 



362 Miracles of Jesus Christ | a.d. 30^-3314 

2. Christ heals Sbnoiis wife's mother. — Jesus was at Capharnaura 
in the first year of His ministry, and came into the house of Simon 
and Andrew, with James and John. And Simon's wife's mothel 
lay in a fit of fever ; and forthwith they tell Him of her. And com- 
ing to her, He lifted her up, taking her by the hand ; and imme* 
diately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. And when 
it was evening after sunset, they brought to Him all that were ill 
and that were possessed with devils ; and all the city was gathered 
together at the door. And He healed many that were troubled 
with divers diseases, and He cast out many devils, and He suffered 
them not to speak, because they knew Him. 

3. Christ heals a Leper. — When Christ descended after the Sermon 
on the Mount, great multitudes followed Him ; and behold, a leper 
came and adored Him, saying : Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst 
make me clean. And Jesus, stretching forth His hand, touched him, 
saying : I will. Be thou made clean. And forthwith his leprosy 
was cleansed. And Jesus saith to him : See thou tell no man ; but 
go, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift which Moses com- 
manded for a testimony unto them. 

4. Christ heals Ten Lepei's. — As Jesus was going to Jerusalem, He 
passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as He 
entered into a certain town, there met Him ten men that were 
lepers, who stood afar off, and lifted up their voice, saying : Jesus, 
Master, have mercy on us. Whom when He saw He said : Go, 
show yourselves to the priests. And it came t.) pass, as they went, 
they were made clean. And one of them, when he saw that he 
was made clean, went back, with a loud voice glorifying God, and 
he fell on his face before His feet, giving thanks ; and this was a 
Samaritan. And Jesus, answering, said : Were not ten made clean ? 
And where are the nine ? There is no one found to return and 
give glory to God but this stranger. And He said to him : Arise, 
go thy way, for thy faith hath made thee whole. 

5. Christ heals a Woman of a Bloody Flux. — During the first year 
of His mission, on His way to raise the daughter of Jairus, Christ 
was followed by the multitude, and a woman who was under an 



A.D. 3o-33>^[ Miracles of Jesus Christ 363 

issue of blood twelve years, and had suffered many things from 
many physicians; and had spent all *liat she had, and was nothing 
the better, but rather worse; when she had heard of Jesus, came in 
the crowd behind him, and touched His garment; for she said : If 
I shall touch but His garment, I shall be whole. And forthwith 
the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body 
that she was healed of the evil. And immediately Jesus, knowing 
in Himself the virtue that had proceeded from Him, turning to the 
multitude, said : Who hath touched My garments ? And His dis- 
ciples said to Him : Thou seest the multitude thronging Thee, and 
sayest Thou : Who hath touched Me ? And He looked about to 
see her who had done this. But the woman, fearing and trembling, 
knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before Him, 
and told Him all the truth. And He said to her : Daughter, thy 
faith hath made thee whole ; go in peace, and be thou whole of thy 
disease. 

6. Christ heals the Paralytic. — About the end of the first year of 
Christ's ministry, He came into His own city, and they brought 
Him one sick of the palsy, lying in a bed. And Jesus, seeing their 
faith, said to the man sick of the palsy : Be of good heart, son, thy 
sins are forgiven thee. And behold some of the Scribes said within 
themselves : He blasphemeth. And Jesus, seeing their thoughts, 
said : Why do you think evil in your hearts ? Whether is easier, to 
say. Thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say. Arise and walk ? But 
that you may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to 
forgive sins, then said He to the man sick of the palsy : Arise, take 
up thy bed, and go into thy house. And he arose, and went into 
his house. And the multitudes, seeing it, feared and glorified God, 
that gave such power to men. 

7. Christ heals a Withered Hand. — Christ went into a synagogue 
of the Pharisees, and behold, there was a man who had a withered 
hand, and they asked Him, saying : Is it lawful to heal on the Sab- 
bath days ? that they might accuse Him. But He said to them : 
What man shall there be among you that hath one sheep, and, if 
the same fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not take hold 




s $ 



^•5 






o ^ 



-33^2 ^ 



Miracles of Jesus Christ. 365 



on it and lift it up ? How much better is a man than a sheep ? 
Therefore it is lawful to do a good deed on the Sabbath days. 
Then He saith to the man : Stretch forth thy hand. And he 
stretched it forth, and it was restored to health even as the other. 

8. Christ heals an Infirm Woina7i. — As Christ was teaching in their 
synagogue on the Sabbaths, behold there was a woman who had a 
spirit of infirmity eighteen years ; and she was bowed together — 
neither could she look upwards at all ; whom, when Jesus saw, He 
called her unto Him, and said to her : Woman, thou art delivered from 
thy infirmity. And He laid His hands upon her, and immediately she 
was made straight, and glorified God. And the ruler of the syna- 
gogue (being angry that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath), answer- 
ing, said to the multitude : Six days there are wherein you ought to 
work; in them therefore come, and be healed, and not on the Sabbath 
day. And the Lord, answering him, said : Ye hypocrites, doth not 
every one of you on the Sabbath day loose his ox or his ass from the 
manger, and lead them to water ? And ought not this daughter of 
Abraham, whom Satan hath bound these eighteen years, be loosed 
from this bond on the Sabbath day ? 

9. The Centu7'ioiCs Sei-vajit. — In the second year of His ministry, 
Christ entered Capharnaum, and the servant of a certain centurion 
who was dear to Him, being sick, was ready to die; and when he 
had heard of Jesus, he sent unto Him the ancients of the Jews, 
desiring Him to come and heal his servant; and when they came to 
Jesus, they besought Him earnestly, saying to Him : He is worthy 
that Thou shouldst do this for him ; for he loveth our nation, and 
he hath built us a synagogue. And Jesus went with them, and 
when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent his friends 
to Him, saying: Lord, trouble not Thyself, for I am not worthy 
that Thou shouldst enter under my roof; for which cause neitlier 
did I think myself worthy to come to Thee; but say the word, and 
my servant shall be healed ; for I also am a man subject to authority, 
having under me soldiers; and I say to one, go, and he goeth; and 
to another, come, and he cometh; and to my servant, do this, and 
he doth it. Which Jesus hearing, marvelled, and turning about to 



A.u. 3<^33>^[ Aliracles of Jesus Christ. 367 

the multitude that followed Him, He said : Amen I say unto you, I 
have not found so great faith not even in Israel. And they who 
were sent, being returned to the housq^ found the servant whole who 
had been sick. 

III. DEVILS. 

1. Christ heals a Demo^iiac at Capharnatun. — Jesus entered Ca- 
pharnaum during the first year of His preaching, and upon Sabbath 
days, going into the synagogue. He taught them ; and they were 
astonished at His doctrine ; for He was teaching them as one hav- 
ing power, and not as the Scribes. And there was in their synagogue 
a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, saying : What have 
we to do with Thee, Jesus of Nazareth ? Art Thou come to destroy 
us ? I know who Thou art — the Holy One of God. And Jesus 
threatened him, saying : Speak no more, and go out of the man. 
And the unclean spirit, tearing him, and crying out with a loud voice, 
went out of him. And they were all amazed, insomuch that they 
questioned among themselves, saying: What thing is this? What 
is this new doctrine, for with power He commandeth even the unclean 
spirits, and they obey Him ? And the fame of Him was spread 
forthwith into all the country of Galilee. 

2. Christ heals Two Demoniacs in the Land of Gerasens. — When 
Jesus had stilled the sea-storm, and was come on the other side of 
the water into the country of the Gerasens, there met Him two that 
were possessed with devils, coming out of the sepulchres, exceeding 
fierce, so that none could pass by that way. And behold they cried 
out, saying : What have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Son of God ? 
Art Thou come hither to torment us before the time ? And there 
was, not far from them, an herd of many swine feeding; and the 
devils besought Him, saying : If Thou cast us out hence, send us 
into the herd of swine. And He said to them: Go. But they 
going out went into the swine ; and behold the whole herd run vio- 
lendy down a steep place into the sea, and they perished in the 
waters; and they that kept them fled, and coming into the city told 
c\erything, and concerning them that had been possessed by the 



J 



68 Miracles of Jesus Christ, Ja.d.so-ssh 



(]evils. And behold the whole city went out to meet Jesus; and 
when they saw Him, they besought Him that He would depart 
from their coasts. 

3. Christ heals a Bli7idand Dumb Demoniac. — In the second year 
of His public life, Christ retired from the Pharisees, after He had 
healed the withered hand; and there was offered to Him one pos- 
sessed with a devil, blind and dumb, and He healed him, so 
that he spoke and saw. And all the multitude were amazed, and 
said: Is not this the son of David? But the Pharisees, hearing it, 
said: This man casteth not out devils, but by Beelzebub, the prince 
of the devils. And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them : 
Every kingdom divided against itself shall be made desolate, and 
every city or house divided against itself shall not stand ; and if 
Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how, then, 
shall his kingdom stand ? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, 
by whom do your children cast them out ? Therefore, they shall 
be your judges. But if I by the Spirit of God cast out devils, then is 
the kingdom of God come upon you; or how can any one enter into 
the house of the strong, and rifle his goods, unless he first bind the 
strong ? and then he will rifle his house. He that is not with Me, 
is against Me; and he that gathereth not with Me, scattereth. 
Therefore I say to you : Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven 
men ; but the blasphemy of the Spirit shall not be forgiven ; and 
whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be 
forgiven him ; but he that shall speak against the Holy Ghost, it 
shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world nor in the world to 
come. Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the 
tree evil, and its fruit evil; for by the fruit the tree is known. O 
generation of vipers, how can you speak good things, whereas you 
are evil ? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 
A good man out of a good treasure bringeth forth good things; 
and an evil man out of an evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 
But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they 
shall render an account for it in the day of judgment; for by thy 
words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be con- 



A.D. 3o-33'/2 1- Miracles of Jesus Christ. 369 

demned. Then some of the Scribes and Pharisees answered Him, 
saying : Master, we would see a sign from Thee. Who, answering, 
said to them: An evil and adulterous generation seeketh a sign, 
and a sign shall not be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet; 
for as Jonas was in the whale's belly three days and three nights, so 
sliall the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and 
three nights. The men of Ninive shall rise in judgment with this 
generation, and shall condemn it, because they did penance at 
the i)reaching of Jonas. And behold a greater than Jonas here. 
The queen of the south' shall rise in judgment with this generation, 
and sliall condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth 
to hear the wisdom of Solomon ; and behold a greater than Solo- 
mon here. And when an unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he 
walketh through dry places Peeking rest, and findeth none. Then 
he saith : I will return into my house from whence I came out. And 
coming he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then be goeth 
and taketh with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, 
and they enter in and dwell there; and the last state of that man is 
made worse than the first. So shall it be also to this wicked gene- 
ration. 

4. Clu'ist heals the Cy7'ophenician Woman's DaugJiter. — In the third 
year of His ministry, Christ retired unto the coasts of Tyre and 
Sidon ; and behold a woman of Canaan, who came out of tliose 
coasts, crying out, said to Him : Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou 
Son of David ; my daughter is seriously troubled by a devil. Who 
answered her not a word. And His disciples came and besought 
Him, saying : Send her away, for she crieth after us. And He, 
answering, said : I was not sent but to the sheep that are lost of the 
house of Israel. But she came and adored Him, saying : Lord, 
•help me. Who, answering, said : It is not good to take the bread of 
the children, and to cast it to the dogs. But she said . Yea, Lord, 
for the whelps also eat of the crumbs that fall from the table of 
their masters. Then Jesus, answering, said to her : O woman, great 
is thy faith; be it done to thee as thou wilt. And her daughter was 
cured from that hour. 



o / 



Miracles of Jesus Christ. |a.d. 30-33^ 



5. CJu'ist heals a Demoniac Lunatic. — As Jesus came down from 
the mount, after the Transfiguration, one of the multitude said : 
Master, I have brought my son to Thee, having a dumb spirit, who, 
wheresoever he taketh him, dasheth him, and he foameth and 
gnasheth with the teeth, and pineth away, and I spoke to Thy 
disciples to cast him out, and they could not. Who, answering 
them, said : O incredulous generation, how long shall I be with 
you ? how long shall I suffer you ? Bring him unto Me. And they 
brought him. And when He had seen him, immediately the spirit 
troubled him, and being thrown down upon the ground, he rolled 
about foaming. And He asked his father: How long time is 
it since this hath happened unto him ? But he said : From his 
infancy ; and oftentimes hath he cast him into the fire and into 
' waters, to destroy him ; but if Thou canst do anything, help us, hav- 
ing compassion on us. Jesus saith to him : If thou canst believe, 
all things are possible to him that believeth. And immediately the 
father of the boy, crying out, with tears said : I do beHeve, Lord, 
help my unbelief And when Jesus saw the multitude running 
together, He threatened the unclean spirit, saying to him : Deaf 
and dumb spirit, I command thee, go out of him, and enter not any 
more into him. And crying out, and greatly tearing him, he went 
out of him, and he became as dead, so that many said: He is dead. 
But Jesus, taking him by the hand, lifted him up, and he arose. 
And when He was come into the house, His disciples secretly asked 
Him : Why could not we cast Him out ? And He said to them : 
This kind can go out by nothing but by prayer and fasting. 

IV. THE SENSES. 

I. Christ heals a Palsied Man. — And it came to pass on a certain 
day, as He sat teaching, that there were also Pharisees and doctors 
of the Law sitting by, that were come out of every town of Galilee, 
and Judea, and Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was to heal 
them. And behold men brought in a bed a man who had the 
palsy, and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him 
before Him. When they could not find by what way they might 



A.D. 30-33^2 [ Miracles of Jesus Christ. 371 

bring Him in, because of the multitude, they went up upon the 
roof, and let him down through the tiles with his bed into the midst, 
before Jesus, whose faith when He saw. He said : Man, thy sins are 
forgiven thee. And the Scribes and Pharisees began to think, say- 
ing : Who is this who speaketh blasphemies ? Who can forgive 
sins but God alone? When Jesus knew their thoughts, answering, 
He said to them: What is it you think in your hearts? Which is 
easier to say : Thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say : Arise, and 
walk ? But that you may know that the Son of Man hath power 
on earth to forgive sins (He saith to the sick of the palsy), I say to 
thee : Arise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house. And imme- 
diately rising up before them, he took up the bed on which he lay, 
and he went away to his own house, gloi^fying God. 

2. Christ gives Sight to Two Blind Men. — After raising the daughter 
of Jairus to life, Jesus was followed by two blind men, crying out 
and saying : Have mercy on us, O Son of David. And when He 
was come to the house, the bhnd men came to Him ; and Jesus 
saith to them : Do you believe that I can do this unto you ? They 
say to Him : Yea, Lord. Then He touched their eyes, saying : 
According to your faith be it done unto you. And their eyes were 
opened ; and Jesus strictly charged them, saying : See that no man 
know this. But they, going out, spread His fame abroad in all that 
country. 

3. Christ gives Sight to a Blind Man. — In the third year of His 
preaching, Christ came to Bethsaida with His disciples, and they 
brought to Him a blind man, and they besought Him that He would 
touch him. And taking the blind man by the hand, He led him out 
of the town; and spitting upon his eyes, laying His hand on him. 
He asked him if Ke saw anything. And looking up, he said: I 
see men, as it were trees, walking. After that again He laid His 

, hands upon his eyes, and he began to see, and was restored, so that 
he saw all things clearly. And He sent him into his house, saying: 
Go into thy house; and if thou enter into the town, tell nobody 

4. Christ gives Sight to a Man born Blind. — And Jesus, passing by, 
saw a man who was blind from his birth. And His disciples asked 



'^']2 Miracles of Jesus Christ. -[a.d. 30-33! ^ 

Him : Rabbi, who hath sinned, this man or his parents, that he 
should be born bhnd ? Jesus answered : Neither hath this man 
shmed nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made 
manifest in him. I must work the works of Him that sent Me whilst 
it is day ; the night cometh when no man can work. As long as I 
am in the world, I am the Light of the world. When He had said 
these things, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle,-and 
spread the clay upon his eyes, and said to him : Go, wash in 
the pool of Siloe (which is interpreted. Sent). He went, therefore, 
and washed, and he came seeing. The neighbors, therefore, and 
they who had seen him before that he was a beggar, said : Is not 
this he that sat and begged ? Some said : This is he. But others 
said: No, but he is like hina. But he said: I am he. They said 
therefore to him : How were thy eyes opened ? He answered : That 
man that is called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes, and said 
to me : Go to the pool of Siloe, and wash. And I went, I washed, 
and I see. And they said to him : Where is He ? He saith : I 
know not. They bring him that had been blind to the Pharisees. 
Now, it w^as the Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his 
eyes. Again, therefore, the Pharisees asked him how he had received 
his sight. But he said to them : He put clay upon my eyes, and I 
washed, and I see. Some, therefore, of the Pharisees said : This man 
is not of God, who keepeth not the Sabbath. But others said : How 
can a man that is a sinner do such miracles ? And there was a 
division among them. They say therefore to the blind man again : 
What sayest thou of Him that hath opened thy eyes ? And he said : 
He is a prophet. The Jews then did not believe concerning him, 
that he had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called 
the parents of him that had received his sight, and asked them, 
saying : Is this your son who you say was born blind ? How, then, 
doth he now see ? His parents answered them, and said : We know 
that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now 
seeth we know not, or who hath opened his eyes we know not. Ask 
himself; he is of age, let him speak for himself. These things his 
parents said, because they feared the Jews; for the Jews had already 



A.u. 3<^33.v |- Mii'acles of Jesus Christ. '^']'i^ 

agreed among themselves that if any man should confess Him to be 
Christ, lie should be put out of the synagogue. Therefore did his 
parents say : He is of age, ask him. They therefore called the man 
again that had been blind, and said to him: Give glory to God; we 
know that this man is a sinner. He said, therefore, to them : If He 
be a sinner, I know not; one thing I know, that whereas I was 
blind, now I see. They said then to him : What did He to thee ? 
How did He open thy eyes ? He answered them : I have told you 
already, and you have heard; why would you hear it again? Will 
you also become His disciples ? They reviled him, therefore, and 
said : Be thou his disciple ; but we are the disciples of Moses. We 
know that God spoke to Moses ; but as to this man, we know not 
from whence He is. The man answered, and said to them : Why, 
herein is a wonderful thing, that you know not from whence He is, 
and He hath opened my eyes. Now, we know that God doth not 
hear sinners ; but if a man be a server of God, and doth His will, 
him He heareth. From the beginning of the world it hath not been 
heard that any man hath opened the eyes of one born blind. Unless 
this man were of God, He could not do anything. They answered, 
and said to him : Thou wast wholly born in sins, and dost thou teach 
us ? And they cast him out. Jesus heard that they had cast him 
out, and when He had found him, He said to him : Dost thou 
believe in the Son of God ? He answered, and said : Who is He, 
Lord, that I may believe in Him ? And Jesus said to him : Thou 
hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee. And he 
said : I believe, Lord. And falling down, he adored Him. Jesus 
said : For judgment I am come into this world, that they who see 
not may see, and they who see may become blind. And some of 
the Pharisees who were with him, heard, and they said unto Him : 
Arc we also blind ? Jesus said to them : If you were blind, you 
should not have sin ; but now you say : We see. Your sin re- 
mainetli. 

5. Christ gives Sig/iHo Bar-iiineus. — As Jesus went out of Jericho 
with His disciples and a very great multitude, Bar-timeus the blind 
man, the son of Timeus, sat by the wayside begging; who, when he 



3 74 Miracles of yestts Christ. \ a.d. 30 33^5^ 

nad heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, began to cry out, and to 
say : Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. And many rebuked 
him, that he might liold his peace. But he cried a great deal the 
more : Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus, standing still, 
commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying 
to him : Be of better comfort ; arise, He calleth thee. Who, casting 
off his garment, leaped up, and came to Him. And Jesus, answer- 
ing, said to him: What wilt thou that I should do to thee? And 
the blind man said to Him : Rabboni, that I may see. And Jesus 
saith to him : Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole. And 
immediately he saw, and followed Him in the way. 

IV. DEATH. 

. Christ raised three persons from the dead : the daughter of Jairus 
in the first year of His ministry, the son of the widow of Nairn in the 
second year, and Lazarus in the third year. 

I. The Daughter of Jairus. — When Christ had returned from the 
land of the Gerasens, where he expelled the devils from the man 
named Legion, behold there came a man whose name was Jairus, 
and he was a ruler of the synagogue. He fell down at the feet of 
Jesus, beseeching Him that He would come into his house, for he 
had an only daughter almost twelve years old, and she was dying. 
While Christ was speaking with the woman whose issue of blood He 
had healed, there cometh one to the ruler of the synagogue, saying 
to him : Thy daughter is dead, trouble Him not. And Jesus, hearing 
this word, answered the father of the maid : Fear not; believe only^ 
and she shall be safe. And when He was come to the house, he 
suffered not any man to go in with Him but Peter, and James> and 
John, and the father and mother of the maiden. And all wept and 
mourned for her. But He said : Weep not, the maid is not dead, 
but sleepeth. And they laughed Him to scorn, knowing that she 
was dead. But He, taking her by the hand, cried out, saying : Maid, 
arise. And her spirit returned, and she rose immediately. And He 
bid them give her to eat. And her parents were astonished, whom 
He charged to tell no man what was done. 



533^'}- Mu'aclcs of Jesics CJirist. 



o/ :) 



2. The Son of the Widow of Nairn. — In the second year of His 
ministry, Jesus went into a city that is called Nairn ; and there went 
with Him His disciples and a great multitude. And when He came 
nigh to the gate of the city, behold a dead man was carried out, the 
only son of his mother. She was a widow, and a great multitude of 
the city was with her, whom when the Lord had seen, being moved 
with mercy towards her, He said to her : Weep not. And He came 
near and touched the bier. (And they that carried it stood still.) 
And He said : Young man, I say to thee, arise. And he that was 
dead sat up, and began to speak. And He gave him to his mother. 
And there came a fear on them, and they glorified God, saying : A 
great prophet is risen up among us, and God hath visited His people. 
And this rumor of Him went forth throughout all Judea, and through- 
out all the country round about. 

3. Lazai'us^ raised from the dead at Bethania, in the third year of 
Christ's preaching. — Jesus was not yet come into the town, but He 
was still in that place where Martha had met Him. The Jews, 
therefore, who were with her in the house and comforted her, when 
they saw Mary that she rose up speedily and went out, followed her, 
saying : She goeth to the grave, to weep there. When Mary, there- 
fore, was come where Jesus was, seeing Him, she fell down at His 
feet, and saith to Him : Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother 
had not died. Jesus, therefore, when He saw her weeping, and the 
Jews that were come with her weeping, groaned in the spirit and 
troubled Himself, and said : Where have you laid him ? They say 
to Him: Lord, come and see. And Jesus wept. The Jews, there- 
fore, said : Behold how He loved him. But some of them said : 
Could not He that opened the eyes of the man born blind, have 
caused that this man should not die ? Jesus, therefore, again groan- 
ing in Himself, cometh to the sepulchre. Now, it was a cave, and a 
stone was laid over it. Jesus saith : Take away the stone. Martha, 
the sister of him that was dead, saith to Him : Lord, by this time he 
stinketh, for he is now of four days. Jesus saith to her: Did I not 
say to thee that, if thou believe, thou shalt see the glory of God ? 
They took therefore the stone away, and Jesus, lifting up His eyes. 



1 




8^ 



5^ r 
Co 



^ « 



s 



An. 33-33.¥} Mii^aclcs of Jcsics C/unsL 



c/ 1 



said : Father, I give Thee thanks that Thou hast heard me ; and I 
knew that Thou hearest Me always, but because of the people who 
stand about have I said it, that they may believe that Thou hast 
sent Me. When He had said these things, He cried with a loud 
voice : Lazarus, c^ome forth. And presently he that had been dead 
came forth, bound feet and hands with winding bands, and his face 
was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said to them : Loose him, 
and let him go. 

These are some of the miracles of Christ which the Evan- 
gelists have recorded. Do they not justify the answer which our 
Saviour gave to John the Baptist's two disciples : Go and relate to 
John what you have heard and seen : the blind see, the lame walk, 
the lepers are made clean, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, to the 
poor the Gospel is preached ? Do they not still remain as written 
monuments to bear testimony to the divine mission of Jesus Christ, 
and to proclaim that Jesus is God ? Will you not, gentle reader, 
believe in the truth of the discourses and the divine wisdom of the 
parables of Him who proved Himself to be tlie Lord of the elements, 
diseases, devils, the senses, and death — our Lord and Saviour, Jesus 
Christ ? 

QUESTIONS. 

What is a miracle ? Wh)* did Christ work miracles ? How many miracles 
of Christ are recorded in the Evangelists? How do you classify the 
miracles of Christ? What miracles did Christ work on the elements? What 
cures of diseases did He perform? In what cases did He cast out devils ? 
Mention the cures of blindness? Give the account of Jairus' daughter ? 
Of the raising of the widow of Nairn's son to life? Of the calling forth of 
Lazarus from the tomb? What do you infer from the miracles of our Lord 
Jesus Christ? 




^jS Prophecies of Jeszis Christ. ]a.d. 30-33-'^ 

CHAPTER XLV. 

THE PROPHECIES OF JESUS CHRIST. A.D. 30-33^. 

ESUS CHRIST saw all things past, present, and to come. 
With all the acts of men and angels, from the founda- 
tion of the world, He, by whom all things were made, 
and without whom nothing was made that was made, 
was thoroughly acquainted. He many times revealed to men the 
secret desires of their hearts and the hidden thoughts of their minds. 
The hidden things of the Father were opened to His eyes, and the 
wide field of the future in time and eternity was ever present to His 
view. He who spoke through the prophets of Himself was pre- 
eminently the Prophet. Though Christ is the author of all pro- 
phecy, the prophecies which are individually ascribed to Him in the 
Gospels are very few. 

1. He foretold His death and resurrection after the Transfigura- 
tion. While Christ and His apostles abode in Galilee, He taught 
them, and said to them : Behold we go up to Jerusalem, and all 
things shall be accomplished which were written by the prophets 
concerning the Son of Man ; for He shall be delivered to the 
Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and scourged, and spit upon ; and 
after they have scourged Him, they will put Him to death, and the 
third day He shall rise again. And they understood none of these 
things, and this word was hid from them, and they understood not 
the things that were said. 

2. The Sign of Jonas. — When Christ was asked for a sign from 
heaven. He gave His future passion and burial, speaking thus : 
This generation is a wicked generation ; it asketh a sign, and a sign 
shall not be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as 
Jonas was a sign to the Ninivites, so shall the Son of Man also be 
to this generation. The queen of the south shall rise in the judg- 
ment with the men of this generation, and shall condemn them, 
because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of 
Solomon, and behold more than Solomon here. The men of Ninive 



« 



A.u. 30-33^^ J- Prophecies of Jestcs Christ. 379 

shall rise in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it 
because they did penance at the preaching of Jonas, and behold 
more than Jonas here. No man lighteth a candle and putteth it 
in a hidden place, nor under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that 
they that come in may see the light. The light of thy body is thy eye. 
If thy eye be single, thy whole body will be lightsome; but if it be 
evil, thy body will also be darksome. Take heed, therefore, that the 
light which is in thee be not darkness. If, then, thy whole body be 
lightsome, having no part of darkness, the whole shall be lightsome, 
and as a bright lamp shall enlighten thee. And as He was speaking, a 
certain Pharisee prayed Him that He would dine with him. And He, 
going in, sat down to eat. And the Pharisee began to say, thinking 
within himself, why He was not washed before dinner. The Lord 
said to him : Now, you Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup 
and of the platter, but your inside is full of rapine and iniquity. Ye 
fools, did not He that made that which is without make also that 
which is within. But yet that which remaineth give alms, and behold 
all things are clean unto you ; but wo to you Pharisees, because 
you tithe mint, and rue, and every herb, and pass over judgment and 
the charity of God; now, these things ye ought to have done, and 
not to leave the other undone. Wo to you Pharisees, because you 
love the uppermost feast in the synagogues, and salutations in die 
market-place. Wo to you, because you are as sepulchres that 
appear not, and men that walk over are not aware. And one of the 
lawyers, answering, saith to Him : Master, in saying these things. 
Thou reproachest us also. But He said : Wo to you lawyers also, 
because you load men with burdens which they cannot bear, and 
you yourselves touch not the packs with one of your fingers : wo to 
you who build the monuments of the prophets, and your fathers 
killed them. Truly you bear witness that you consent to the doings 
of your fathers, for they indeed killed them, and you build their 
sepulchres. For this cause also the wisdom of God said : I will 
send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill 
and persecute; that the blood of all the prophets which was shed 
from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation. 



380 Prophecies of Jesus Christ. 



A.D. 30-33>^ 



from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, who was slain 
between the altar and the temple. Yea, I say to you, it shall be 
required of this generation. Wo to you lawyers, for you have taken 
away the key of knowledge ; you yourselves have not entered in, and 
those that were entering in you have hindered. 

3. The Ansiver to Herod. — There came some of the Pharisees to 
Christ, saying : Depart and get Thee hence, for Herod hath a mind 
to kill Thee. He said to them : Go and tell that fox : Behold I cast 
out devils, and do cures to-day and to-morrow, and the third day I 
am consummated. Nevertheless, I must walk to-day, and to- 
morrow, and the day following, because it cannot be that a prophet 
perish out of Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killest the pro- 
phets, and stonest them that are sent to thee ! how often would I 
have gathered thy children as the bird doth her brood under her 
wings, and thou wouldst not ! Behold your house shall be left to 
you desolate. And I say to you that you shall not see me till 
I come again. 

4. A71 A?iswerto the Multitude. — Having raised Lazarus from the 
dead, and ridden triumphantly on an ass into Jerusalem, Christ was 
speaking to the multitude, when a voice came from heaven. Then 
He said : This voice came not because of Me, but for your sakes. 
Now is the judgment of the world ; now shall the prince of this world 
be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all 
things to myself. (Now, this He said, signifying what death He 
should die.) The multitude answered Him : We have heard out of 
the Law that Christ abideth for ever ; and how sayest Thou, The Son 
of Man must be lifted up ? Who is this Son of Man ? Jesus there- 
fore said to them : Yet a little while the Hght is among you. Walk 
whilst you have the light, that the darkness overtake you not ; and 
he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. Whilst 
you have the light, believe in the light, that you may be the children 
of light. These things Jesus spoke ; and He went away, and hid 
himself from them. 

After washing His disciples' feet, Christ foretold: 

5. yudas's Betrayal. — I speak not of you all ; I know whom I 



A.D. 3c^32V2[ Prophecies of Jesus Christ, 381 

have chosen ; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, he that eatetli 
bread with Me shall lift up his heel against Me. At present I tell 
you, before it come to pass, that when it shall come to pass, you 
may believe that I am He. Amen, amen I say to you, he that 
receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth Me ; and he that receiveth 
Me receiveth Him that sent Me. When Jesus had said these things, 
He was troubled in spirit ; and He testified, and said : Amen, amen 
I say to you, one of you shall betray Me. The disciples, therefore, 
looked one upon another, doubting of whom He spoke. Now, there 
was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus 
loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, and said to him : 
Who is it of whom He speaketh ? He, therefore, leaning on the 
breast of Jesus, saith to Him : Lord, who is it ? Jesus answered : 
He it is to whom I shall reach bread dipped. And when He had 
dip])ed the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 
And after the morsel, Satan entered into him. And Jesus said to 
him : That which thou dost, do quickly. Now, no man at the table 
knew to what purpose He said this unto him. For some thought 
because Judas had the purse, that Jesus had said to him : Buy those 
things which we have need of for the festival day ; or that he should 
give something to the poor. He, therefore, having received the 
morsel, went out immediately. And it was night. 

6. Chrisfs Death. — When he, therefore, was gone out, Jesus said: 
Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If 
God be glorified in Him, God also will glorify Him in Himself; and 
immediately will He glorify Him. Little children, yet a little while 
1 am with you. You shall seek me, and, as I said to the Jews, 
wliither I go you cannot come ; so I say to you now. A new com- 
mandment I give unto you : That you love one another as I have 
loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men 
know that you are My disciples, if you have love one for another. 

7. Petei^s Denial. — Simon Peter saith to Him : Lord, whither 
goest Thou ? Jesus answered: Whither I go thou canst not follow 
Me now ; but thou shalt follow hereafter. Peter saith to Him : Why 
cannot I follow Thee now ? I will lay down my life for Thee. 



o 



82 Prophecies of Jesus Christ. |a.d. 30-33 h 



Jesus answered him : Wilt thou lay down thy life for Me ? Amen, 
amen I say to thee, the cock shall not crow, till thou deny Me thrice. 

8. The Destricciio7i of the Temple. — Jesus, being come out of 
the temple, went away. And his disciples came to show Him the 
buildings of the temple. And He, answering, said to them : Do you 
see all these things ? Amen I say to you, there shall not be left 
here a stone upon a stone that shall not be destroyed. And when 
He was sitting on Mount Olivet, the disciples came to Him pri- 
vately, saying : Tell us when shall these things be ? And what shall 
be the sign of Thy coming, and of the consummation of the world ? 
And Jesus, answering, said to them : Take heed that no man seduce 
you; for many will come in My name, saying: I am Christ; and 
they will seduce many. And you shall hear of wars, and rumors of 
wars. See that ye be not troubled ; for these things must come to 
pass, but the end is not yet; for nation shall rise against nation, and 
kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be pestilences, andfamines, 
and earthquakes in places; now, all these are the beginnings of sor- 
rows. Then shall they deUver you up to be afflicted, and shall put 
you to death ; and you shall be hated by all nations for My name's 
sake. And then shall many be scandalized, and shall betray one 
another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall 
rise, and shall seduce many. And because iniquity hath abounded, 
the charity of many shall grow cold; but he that shall persevere to 
the end, he shall be saved. And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be 
preached in the whole world, for a testimony to all nations; and 
then shall the consummation come. When, therefore, you shall see 
the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the 
prophet, standing in the. holy place, he that readeth, let him under- 
stand; then they that are in Judea, let them flee to the mountains: 
and he that is on the house-top, let him not come down to take any- 
thing out of his house ; and he that is in the field, let him not go 
back to take his coat. And wo to them that are with child, and 
that give suck in those days. But pray that your flight be not in 
the winter, or on the Sabbath. 

9. The Manner of Petefs Death. — Amen, amen I say to thee, 



A.D. 30-33V2 [ Prophecies of Jesus C Jurist. 383 

When thou • wast )Ounger, thou (iitlst gird thyself, and didst walk 
where thou wouldbC; but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretcii 
forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and lead thee whither 
thou wouldst not. And this He said, signifying by what death he 
should glorify God. And when He had said this. He saith to him : 
Follow me. 

10, II. TJie General 'judgment a7id the End of the World. — 
There shall be then great tribulation, such as hath not been from 
the beginning of the world until now, neither shall be. And unless 
those days had been shortened, no flesh should be saved; but for 
the sake of the elect, those days shall be shortened. Then if any 
man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ, or there, do not believe 
him. For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and 
shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch as to deceive (if pos- 
sible) even the elect. Behold I have told it to you beforehand. 
If, therefore, they shall say to you : Behold, he is in the desert, go 
ye not out : Behold, he is m the closets, believe it not. For as 
li-iitninL,* cometh out of the east, and appeareth even into the west, 
so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. Wheresoever the 
body shall be, there shall the eagles also be gathered together. 
And mimediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall 
be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars 
shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be moved ; 
and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven : 
and then shall all tribes of the earth mourn ; and they sliall see the 
Son of Man coming in tlie clouds of heaven with much power and 
majesty. And He shall send His angels with a trumpet and a 
great voice; and they shall gather together His elect from the four 
winds, from the farthest parts of the heavens to the utmost bounds 
of them. And from the fig-tree learn a parable : when the branch 
thereof is now tender, and the leaves come forth, you know that 
summer is nigh. So you also, when you shall see all these things, 
know ye that it is nigh even at the doors. Amen I say to you 
that this generation shall not pass till all these things be done. 
Heaven and earth shall pass, but my words shall not pass. But of 



3 84 Passion of JesMs Christ. -Jab. 331^ 

that day and hour no one knoweth, no, not the angels of heaven, 
but the Father alone. And as m the days of Noe, so shall also the 
coming of the Son of Man be ; for as in the days before the flood, 
they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, 
even till that day in which Noe entered into the ark, and they 
knew not till the flood came, and took them all away ; so also shall 
the coming of the Son of Man be. Take ye heed, watch, and pray ; 
for ye know not when the time is. Even as a man who, going into 
a far country, left his house, and gave authority to his servants over 
every work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye, there- 
fore (for you know not wlien the lord of the house cometh : at even, 
or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or in the morning), lest, 
coming on a sudden, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, 
I say to all : Watch. 

QUESTIONS. 

In what way is Christ a prophet ? What prophecies did He utter con- 
cerning the manner of His death? How did He foretell Judas was to 
betray Him ? Write out in your own words and style a description of the 
destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world ? 



CHAPTER XLVI. 

THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST. — A.D. Z2>%' 

HE disciples' feet being washed, that they might have an 
example of love and humiUty, Judas Iscariot having 
departed to betray his Master, the Last Supper being 
ended, Jesus with His disciples passed the brook 
Cedron, went according to His custom to the Mount of Olives, and 
entered a garden in a country place called Gethsemani. There He 
said to His disciples: Sit you here, while I go and pray. And He 
taketh Peter, and James, and John with Him, and He began to fear 
and to be heavy. And He saith to them: My soul is sorrowful 
even unto death : stay you here and watch. When He was gone 




A.D. 33>5r[ Passion of Jesus Christ. 385 

forward a little, He fell flat on the ground, and He prayed that, if it 
might be, the hour miglit pass from Him; and He saith: Abba, 
Father, all things are possible to Thee; remove this chalice from Me, 
but not what I will, but what Thou wilt. And He cometh, and 
findeth them sleeping; and He saith to Peter: Simon, sleepest 
tliou ? Couldst thou not watch one hour ? Watch ye, and pray that 
you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the 
flesh is weak. And going away again. He prayed, saying the same 
words ; and when He returned, he found them again asleep (for 
their eyes were heavy), and they knew not wliat to answer Him. 
And He cometh the third time, and saith to them : Sleep ye now, 
and take your rest. It is enough: the hour is come; behold the 
Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners. While 
Christ was praying apart from His disciples, there appeared to Him 
an angel from heaven to strengthen Him. Being in an agony, He 
prayed the long; and His sweat became as drops of blood trickling 
down upon the ground. Now, Judas was aware of the customs of 
Christ, and, having received a band of soldiers and servants from the 
chief priests and Pharisees, came to Gethsemani with lanterns, torches, 
and weapons. Jesus, knowing all things that should came upon Him, 
went forth, and said to them : Whom seek ye ? They answered Him : 
Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith to them: I am He. And Judas 
also, who betrayed Him, stood with them. As soon therefore as he 
had said to them : I am He, they went backward, *and fell to the 
ground. Again therefore he asked them : Whom seek ye ? And 
they said : Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered : I have told you 
that I am He; if therefore you seek Me, let these go their way. 
That the word might be fulfilled which He said : Of them whom 
thou hast given Me, I have not lost any one. Judas, that betrayed 
Him, had given them a sign : Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is He, lay 
hold on Him, and lead Him away carefully. Forthwith, coming to 
Jesus, he said : Hail, Rabbi. And he kissed Him. And Jesus said 
to Jiim : Friend, whereto art thou come ? Then they came up and 
laid hands on Jesus, and held Him. Simon Peter drew his sword, 
and cut off the right ear of Malchus, the servant of the 



A.D. ssVz} Passion of Jesus Christ. 387 

high-priest; but Jesus touched it, and it was healed. Then said 
Christ to Peter: Put up again thy sword into its place, for all that 
take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that 
I cannot ask My Father, and He will give Me presently more than 
twelve legions of angels ? How, then, shall the Scriptures be 
fulfilled, that so it must be done ? At the same time. He spoke to 
the multitude, and the chief priests, and magistrates of the temple, 
and the ancients that were come unto Him : Are you come out as 
it were against a thief, with swords and clubs ? When I was daily 
with you in the temple, you did not stretch forth your hands against 
Me ; but this is your hour, and the power of darkness. When the 
band, and the tribune, and the servants of the Jews took Jesus and 
bound Him, His disciples leaving Him, all fled away. And a cer- 
tain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth cast about 
his naked body, and they laid hold on him. But he, casting off the 
linen cloth, fled from them naked. 

2. yesiis before Annas and CaipJias. — Simon Peter foUoweth Jesus, 
and so did another disciple ; and that disciple was known to the 
high-priest, and went in with Jesus into the court of the high-priest; 
but Peter stood at the door without. The other disciple, therefore, 
who was known to the high-priest, went out and spoke to the 
portress, and brought in Peter. The maid, therefore, that was por- 
tress, saith to Peter : Art not thou also one of this man's disciples ? 
He saith : I am not. Now, the serva?its and ministers stood at a 
fire of coals, because it was cold, and warmed themselves, and with 
them was Peter also standing, and warming himself. The high- 
priest therefore asked Jesus of His disciples and of His doctrine. 
Jesus answered him : I have spoken openly to the world ; I have 
always taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither all the 
Jews resort; and in secret I have spoken nothing. Why asketh 
thou Me ? Ask them who have heard what I have spoken unto 
them ; behold they know what things I have said. And when He 
had said these things, one of the servants standing by gave Jesus a 
blow, saying : Answerest Thou the high-priest so ? Jesus answered 
him: If I have spoken evil, give testimony of the evil, but if well. 



388 Passion of Jesus Christ, ]a.d. 33^^ 

why strikest thou Me ? And Annas sent Him bound to Caiphas the 
high-priest. And Simon Peter was standing and warming himseh"; 
they said therefore to him : Art not thou also one of His disciples? 
He denied it, and said : I am not. One of the servants of 
the high-priest (a kinsman to him whose ear Peter cut off) saith 
to him : Did not I see thee in the garden with Him ? Again, 
therefore, Peter denied, and immediately the cock crew. The Lord, 
turning, looked on Peter ; and Peter remembered the saying of the 
Lord : Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny Me thrice. Then 
Peter went out and wept bitterly. The men that held Him mocked 
Him, and struck- Him ; and they bHndfolded Him, and smote His 
face, and they asked Hi-m, saying : Prophesy, who is it that struck 
Thee? And blaspheming, many other things they said against 
Him. 

3. Jesus before the Sanhedrim. — And as soon as it was day, 
the ancients of the people, and the chief, priests, and scribes came 
together, and they brought Him into their council. And the chief 
priests and the whole council sought fals^e witness against Jesus, that 
they might put Him to death. And they found not, whereas many 
false witnesses had came in ; and last of all there came two false wit- 
nesses, and they said : This man said, I am able to destroy the tem- 
ple of God, and after three days to rebuild it. And the high-priest, 
rising up, said to him : Answerest Tbou nothing to the things 
which these witness against Thee ? But Jesus held His peace. And 
the high-priest said to Him : I adjure Thee by the living God that 
Thou tell us if Thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith to 
him: Thou hast said it; nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you 
shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the power of 
God, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high-priest 
rent his garments, saying : He hath blasphemed; what further need 
have we of witnesses ? Behold, now you have heard the blasphemy, 
wliat think you? But they, answering, said: He is guilty of 
death. 

4, yesus before Pilate. — Then they led Jesus, bound, and deliv- 
ered Him to Pontius Pilate, the governor. Judas Iscariot, seeing 



A.D. ss'aj Passion of Jestis C Insist. 389 

that Jesus was condemned, repented ; and bringing back the thirty 
pieces of silver to the chief priests and the ancients, said: I have 
betrayed innocent blood. Having received the answer: What is 
that to us ? Look thou to it, he cast down the pieces of silver in 
the temple, departed, and hanged himself with a halter. Because the 
pieces of silver could not be put into the corbona, being the price of 
blood, the chief priests bought with -them the potter's field as a 
burying-place for^ strangers, and named it Haceldama, that is, the 
field of blood. Now, when Jesus came before Pilate, His accusers 
began to say : We have found this man perverting our nation, and 
forbidding to give tribute to Cesar, and saying that He is Christ the 
king. And Pilate asked him, saying : Art Thou the king -of the 
Jews ? But He, answering, said : Thou sayest it. And Pilate said 
to the chief priests and to the multitudes : I find no cause in this 
man. But they were more earnest, saying : He stirreth up the peo- 
ple, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, to this 
place. But Pilate, hearing Galilee, asked if the men were of 
Galilee. 

5. yesus before Herod. — As Herod, who had jurisdiction over 
Galilee, was in Jerusalem at the time, Pilate sent Jesus to him ; and 
Herod, seeing Jesus, was very glad ; for he was desirous of a long 
time to see Him, because he had heard many things of Him, and he 
hoped to see some sign wrought by Him. Herod questioned Him 
in many words; but He answered him nothing; and the chief 
priests and the scribes stood by earnestly accusing Him. Then 
Herod with his army set Him at naught, and mocked Him, putting 
on Him a white garment, and sent Him back to Pilate. Herod and 
Pilate were made friends that same day ; for before they were ene- 
mies one to another. 

6. Jesus before Pilate the scco?id t'une. — Pilate now called together 
the chief priests, the magistrates, and the people ; but they did not 
enter the hall, that they might not be defiled, but that they might 
eat the Pasch. Pilate, therefore, went out, and said: You have 
presented unto me this man as one that perverteth the people ; and 
behold I, having examined Him before you, find no cause in this 



A.D. 33;^j- Pass io7i of yesus Christ. 391 

man in those things wherein you accuse Him. No, nor Herotl 
neither ; for I sent you lo Him, and behold, nothing wortliy of death 
is done to Him. I will chastise Him, therefore, and release Him. 
Now, upon the solemn day, that is, the Pasch, the governor was 
accustomed to release to the people one prisoner, whom they would; 
and he had then a notorious prisoner that was called Barabbas. 
They therefore being gathered together, Pilate said : Whom will 
you that I release to you : Barabbas, or Jesus, that is called Christ ? 
for he knew that for envy they had delivered Him. And as he was 
sitting in the place of judgment, his wife sent to him, saying : Have 
thou nothing to do with that just man; for I have suffered many 
things this day in a dream because of Him. But the chief priests 
and ancients persuaded the people that they should ask Barabbas, 
and make JesUs away. And the governor, answering, said to them : 
Whether will you of the two to be released unto you ? But they 
said, Barabbas. Pilate then released Barabbas, who had been cast 
into prison for a certain sedition in the city and for a murder ; but 
Jesus He took and scourged ; and the soldiers, plaiting a crown of 
thorns, put it upon His head ; and they put on Him a purple gar- 
ment, and they came to Him, and said : Hail, King of the Jews; and 
they gave Him blows. Pilate, therefore, went forth again, and saith 
to them : Behold, I bring Him forth unto you, that you may know 
that I find no cause in Him. (Jesus, therefore, came forth bearing 
the crown of thorns, and the purple garment.) And he saith to them : 
Behold the Man. When the chief priests, therefore, and the servants 
had seen Him, they cried out, saying : Crucify Him, crucify Him. 
Pilate saith to them : Take Him you, and crucify Him ; for I find 
no cause in Him. The Jews answered him : We have a law, and 
according to the law He ought to die, because he made Himself 
the Son of God. AVhen Pilate, therefore, had heard this saying, he 
feared the more; and he entered into the hall again, and he said to 
Jesus : Whence art Thou ? But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate, 
therefore, saith to Him : Speakest Thou not to me ? KnowestThou 
not that I have power to crucify Thee, and I have power to release 
Thee ? Jesus answered : Thou shouldst not have any power against 




8 ^ 

^ <4j ^ 






^ 8 •< 



A.D. 33'/2}- Passion of Jesus Christ, 393 

Me, unless it were given thee from above. Therefore, he that hath 
deUvered Me to thee hath the greater sin. And from thenceforth 
Pilate sought to release Him. But the Jews cried out, saying: If 
thou release this man, thou art not Cesar's friend ; for whosoever 
maketh himself a king speaketh against Cesar. Now, when Pilate 
had heard these words, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the 
judgment seat, in the place that is called Lithostrotos, and in 
Hebrew, Gabbatha ; and it was the Parasceve of the Pasch, about 
the sixth hour, and he saith to the Jews : Behold your king ? But 
they cried out : Away with Him, away with Him ; crucify Him. 
Pilate saith to them : Shall I crucify your king? The chief priests 
answered :*We have no king but Cesar. And Pilate seeing that he 
prevailed nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, taking water, 
washed his hands before the people, saying : I am innocent of the 
blood of this just man ; look you to it. And the whole people, 
answering, said : His blood be upon us and upon our children. 
Then, therefore, he deHvered Him to them to be crucified. 

7. Jesus on the way to Golgotha^ or Calvary. — When Jesus had been 
struck, and spat upon, and mocl^ed, the purple was taken off from 
Him, and His own garments put on. Then, bearing His own cross 
He went forth ; and as they led Him away, they laid hold of one 
Simon of Cyrene coming from the country, the father of Alexander 
and Rufus ; and they laid the cross on him to carry after Jesus. 
On the cross was a title which Pilate wrote and put upon it : Jesus 
OF Nazareth, the King of the Jews. This title, therefore, many 
of the Jews did read, because the place where Jesus was crucified 
was nigh to the city ; and it was written in Hebrew, in Greek, and in 
Latin. Then the chief priests of the Jew5 said to Pilate : Write not, 
The King of the Jews, but that He saith, I am the King of the Jews. 
Pilate answered : What I have written, I have written. Jesus was 
followed by a great multitude of people, and of women who were 
bewailing and lamenting Him ; and He turned to them and said : 
Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over Me, but weep for yourselves 
and for your children ; for behold the days shall come wherein they 
will say : Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that have not born^. 



394 Passion of Jesus Christ, |a.d. 331^ 

and the paps that have not given suck. Then shall they begin to 
say to the mountains: Fall upon us; and to the hills: Cover us. 
For if in the green wood they do these things, what shall be done 
in the dry ? 

8. Jesus at Calvary. — Two malefactors were led with Jesus to be 
IDUt to death, that the Scripture might be fulfilled : " And with the 
wicked He was reputed " (Is. liii. 12). Them the soldiers crucified 
with Jesus, one on the right hand, and the other on the left, as Jesus 
prayed : Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. It was 
the third hour. They that passed by blasphemed Him; wagging their 
heads, and saying : Vah, Thou that destroyest the temple of God, and 
in three days dost rebuild it ! save Thy own self; if Thou be the Son 
of God, come down from the cross. In like manner also the chief 
priests with the Scribes and ancients, mocking, said : He saved others, 
Himself He cannot save ; if He be the King of Israel, let Him now 
come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in 
God : let Him now deliver Him, if He will have Him ; for He said : 
I am the Son of God. And one of those robbers who were hanged 
blasphemed Him, saying: If .Thou be Christ, save Thyself and us- 
But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying : Neither dost thou 
fear God, seeing thou art under the same condemnation. And we 
indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this 
man hath done no evil. And he said to Jesus : Lord, remember Me 
when Thou shalt come into Thy kingdom. And Jesus said to him : 
Amen I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with Me in paradise. 
Now, there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother and His mother's 
sister, Mary^ of Cleophas and Mary Magdelene. When Jesus, there- 
fore, had seen His mother and the disciple standing whom He loved. 
He saith to His mother : Woman, behold thy son. After that. He 
saith to the disciple : Behold thy mother. And from that hour the 
disciple took her to his own. And when the soldiers had crucified 
Him, they took His garments (and they made four parts, to every 
soldier a part) and also His coat. Now, the coat was without seam 
woven from the top throughout. They said then one to another : 
Let us not cut it, but let us cast lots for whose it shall be; that the 



A.D. 33'4[ Passion of Jestis Christ 395 

Scripture might be fulfilled, saying : They have parted My garments 
among them, and upon My vesture they have cast lot. And the 
soldiers indeed did these things (Ps. xxi. 19). From the sixth 
hour there was darkness over the whole earth until the ninth hour. 
About the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying : Eli, 
Eii, lamma sabacthani? that is. My God, My God, why hast Thou 
forsaken Me ? And some that stood there and heard, said : This 
man calleth Elias. And immediately one of them, running, took a 
sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave 
Him to drink. And the others said: Let be; let us see whether 
Elias will come to deliver Him. And Jesus, again crying with a loud 
voice, yielded up the ghost. And behold the veil of the temple was 
rent in two from the top even to the bottom ; and the earth quaked? 
and the rocks were rent, and the graves were opened, and many 
bodies of the saints that had slept, arose, and, coming out of the 
tombs after His resurrection, came into the holy city, and appeared 
to many. Now, the centurion and they that were with him watch- 
ing Jesus, having seen the earthquake and the things that were done^ 
were sore afraid, saying: Indeed this was the Son of God. And all 
the multitude of them that were come together to that sight, and 
saw the things that were done, returned striking their breasts. Then 
the Jews (because it was the Parasceve), that the bodies might not 
remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day (for that was a great 
Sabbath day), besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and 
that they might be taken away. The soldiers, therefore, came, and 
they broke the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified 
with him. But after they were come to Jesus, when they saw that 
He was already dead, they did not break His legs ; but one of the 
soldiers with a spear opened His side, and immediately there came 
out blood and water. For these things were done that the Scripture 
might be fulfilled : You shall not break a bone of Him. And 
again another Scripture saith : They shall look on Him whom they 
pierced. 

9. ycsus is buried. — And when it was evening, there came a certain 
rich man of Arimathea, named Joseph, who was a disciple of Jesus 




8 












A.D. 33>?r[ Passion of Jesus Christ. 397 

(but secretly, for fear of the Jews). Joseph was a noble counsellor, 
and a just and good man, who had not consented to the doings and 
sayings of the Jews, but was looking for the kingdom of God. Joseph 
went in boldly to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. But Pilate 
wondered that He should be already dead. And sending for the 
centurion, he asked him if He were already dead. And when he 
had understood it by the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. 
Joseph came, therefore, and took away the body of Jesus. Nicode- 
mus also came, he who at the first came to Jesus by night, bringing 
a mixture of myrrh and aloes about an hundred pounds weight. 
They took the body and bound it in linen cloths, with spices, as the 
manner of the Jews is to bury. There was in the place where Jesus 
was crucified a garden, and in the garden Joseph's new sepulchre, 
which he had hewed out in a rock, and wherein no man yet had 
been laid. In that monument, because it was nigh at hand, and 
because of the Parasceve of the Jews, they laid Jesus. They rolled 
a great stone to the door of the monument, and went their way. The 
women that were come with Him from Galilee, following afar, saw 
the sepulchre, and how His body was laid. Returning, they prepared 
spices and ointments, and on the Sabbath day rested according to 
commandment. 

10. J^esus is guarded in the Sepulchre. — Now, the chief priests and the 
Pharisees came together to Pilate, and said : Sir, we have remembered 
that that seducer said, while He was yet alive: After three days, I 
will rise again. Command, therefore, the sepulchre to be guarded 
until the third day, lest perhaps His disciples come and steal Him 
away, and say to the people : He is risen from the dead ; and the 
last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said to them : You 
have a guard ; go, guard it as you know. And they, departing, made 
the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting guards. 

QUESTIONS. 

Give the history of the agony, and the b'itrayal of Jesus in Gethsemani? 
Give the history of the passion before Annas? Before the Sanhedrim? 
Bilore Pilate? Before Herod and his army? Before Pilate the second 
time? Write an affecting description of Jesus' journey to Golgotha? 



?H 



J.-> 2 



The Resurreclioji arid Ascensio^i. 399 



Describe the crucifixion? What did Jesus say to His Mother, Mary, and 
St. John? What to the good thief? Describe the burial? Why was the 
sepulchre of Jesus guarded ? 




CHAPTER XLVII. 

THE RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION OF JESUS CHRIST. — A.D. 2>2>y^' 

HE resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the most 
momentous fact in the history of the human race, 
because it stamps the handwriting of the Ahnighty and 
Living God upon the doctrines, commandments, mira- 
cles, and mysteries of His only- begotten Son, the Saviour whom He 
sent into the world. It extracts the sting from death, and it grasps 
victory from the grave. It clothes what is mortal in man with im- 
mortality, what is corruptible with incorruptibility, what is earthly 
with unearthliness. It is a pledge of a future reunion of man's body 
and soul in the perfection of his nature, and the fulness of glory and 
bliss. It is a harbinger of the reawakening of our natures in the 
likeness of Christ, the new Adam, the first-born of the dead. If the 
resurrection of Jesus Christ has not taken place, vain hath been the 
preaching of Christianity, vain hath been its hope, and false hath 
been its witness against the Almighty and Living God. But Jesus 
Christ rose from the dead, and through forty days appeared to His 
disciples, instructing them in the things that appertain to the kingdom 
of heaven. I shall set down in the order of time the recorded appa- 
ritions of Jesus Christ. 

I. Christ was seen by Mary Magdalene. — On the first day of the 
week, Mary Magdalene cometh early, when it was yet dark, into the 
sepulchre, and she saw the stone taken away from the sepulchre. She 
ran, therefore, and cometh to Simon Peter and the other disciple 
whom Jesus loved, and said to them : They have taken away the 
Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid 
Him. Peter and the other disciple went out, and came to the 
sepulchre. They both ran together, and that other disciple did 



400 The Resurrection and Ascension. 



A D. 33I4 



outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And when he stooped 
down, he saw the linen cloths lying, but ye.t he went not in. Then 
Cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and 
saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin that had been about His 
head not lying with the linen cloths, but apart, wrapt up into one 
place. Then that other disciple went in who came first to the se- 
pulchre, and he saw and believed; for as yet they knew not the 
Scripture, and that Christ must rise again from the dead. The 
disciples, therefore, departed again to their home. But Mary stood 
at the sepulchre without, weeping. Now, as she was weeping, she 
stooped down and looked into the sepulchre, and saw two angels in 
white, one at the head, and one at the feet where the body of Jesus 
had been laid. They say to her : Woman, why weepest thou ? She 
saith to them : Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know 
not where they have laid Him. When she had thus said, she turned 
herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and she knew not that it was 
Jesus. Jesus saith to her : Woman, why weepest thou ? Whom 
seekest thou ? She, thinking it was the gardener, saith to Him : Sir, 
if thou hast taken Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him, and 
I will take Him away. Jesus saith to her: Mary. She, turning, 
saith, Rabboni, which is to say, Master. Jesus saith to her : Do not 
touch Me, for I am not yet ascended to My Father. But go to My 
brethren, and say to them : I ascend to My Father and your Father, 
to My God and your God. Mary Magdalene cometh and telleth 
the disciples : I have seen the Lord, and these things He said to me. 
2. Christ was seen by Mary MagdaleJie and the other Mary. — And 
in the end of the Sabbath when it began to dawn, towards the first 
day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see 
the sepulchre. And behold, there was a great earthquake ; for an 
angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and, coming, rolled back 
the stone, and sat upon it. And his countenance was as lightning, 
and his raiment as snow. And for fear of him, the guards were 
struck with terror, and became as dead men. And the angel, answer- 
ing, said to the women : Fear not you, for I know that you seek 
Jesus who was crucified : He is not here, for He is risen as He said. 



A.D. 33'/2[ The Resurrection a7id A sce?ision. 401 

Come and see the place where the Lord was laid. And going 
quickly, tell ye His disciples that He is risen ; and behold, He will 
go before you into Galilee ; there you shall see Him : lo, I have 
foretold it to you. And they went out quickly from the sepulchre 
with fear and great joy, running to tell His disciples. And behold, 
Jesus met them, saying : All hail. But they came up and took hold 
of His feet, and adored Hun. Then Jesus said to them : Fear not; 
go tell My bretliren that they go into Galilee ; there they shall see 
Me. Who, when they were departed, behold some of the guards 
came into the city, and told the chief priests all things that had been 
done. And they, being assembled together with the ancients, taking 
counsel gave a great sum of money to the soldiers, saying : Say 
you. His disciples came by night, and stole Him away when we 
were asleep. And if the governor shall hear of this, we will per- 
suade him, and secure you. So they, taking the money, did as they 
were taught. And this word was spread abroad among the Jews 
even unto this day. 

3. Chf'ist was seen by two Disciples going to Emniaus. — Two disci- 
ples went on the day of the resurrection to a town which was sixty 
furlongs from Jerusalem, named Emmaus. And they talked together 
of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass 
that, while they talked and reasoned with themselves, Jesus Himself, 
also drawing near, went with them. But their eyes were held, that 
they should not know Him. And He said to them :• What are these 
discourses that you hold one with another as you walk, and are sad ? 
And the one of them, whose name was Cleophas, answering, said to 
Him : Art Thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known 
the things that have been done there in these days? To whom He 
said : What things ? And they said : Concerning Jesus of .Naza- 
reth, who was a prophet, mighty in work and word before God and 
all the people. And how our chief priests and princes delivered 
Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we hoped 
that it was He that should have redeemed Israel ; and now, besides 
all this, to-day is the third day since these things were done. Yea, 
and certain women also of our company affrighted us, who, before it 



402 The ResM7^rection and Ascension. -{a.d. 33^ 

was light, were at the sepulchre, and, not finding His body, came, 
saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, who say that He 
is aUve. And some of our people went to the sepulchre, and found 
it so as the women had said, but Him they found not. Then He 
said to them : O foolish, and slow of heart to believe in all things 
which the prophets have spoken ! ought not Christ to have suffered 
these things, and so to enter into His glory ? And beginning at 
Moses and all the prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scrip- 
tures the things that were concerning Him. An'd they drew nigh to 
the town whither they were going, and He made as though He 
would go further. But they constrained Him, saying : Stay with us, 
because it is towards evening, and the day is now far spent. And 
He went in with them. And it came to pass, whilst He was at table 
with them, He took bread, and blessed and brake, and gave to 
them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him, and He 
vanished out of their sight. And they said one to the other : Was 
not our heart burning within us whilst He spoke in the Avay, and 
opened to us the Scriptures ? 

4. Christ was seen by Pete?' alo?ie : " Christ was seen by Cephas, 
and after that by the eleven" (i Cor. xv. 5). — AVhen the two dis- 
ciples returned to Jerusalem, they found the disciples and those that 
were with them saying : The Lord is risen, and hath indeed ap- 
peared to Simon. 

5. He appeared to the Apostles in the Absence of Thomas^ and im- 
parted the Power of forgiving Sins. — Now, when it was late that same 
day, the first of the week, and the doors w^ere shut where the dis- 
ciples were gathered together for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and 
stood in the midst, and said to them : Peace be to you. And when 
He had said this. He showed them His hands and His side. The 
disciples, therefore, were glad when they saw the Lord. He said, 
therefore, to them again : Peace be to you. As the Father hath 
sent Me, I also send you. When He had said this, He breathed on 
them, and He said to them : Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose 
sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them ; and whose sins you 
shall retain, they are retained. 



33J^[ 



The Resurrection and Ascension, 403 



6. He was seen by the Apostles^ arid showed His Wounds to Thotnas. 
— Now, Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called Didymus, was 
not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples, therefore, 
said to him : We have seen the Lord. But he said to them : Except 
I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger 
into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will 
not believe. And after eight days, again His disciples were within, 
and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and 
stood in the midst, and said : Peace be to you. Then He saith to 
Thomas: Put in thy finger hither, and see My hands, and bring 
hither thy hand and put it into My side ; and be not faithless, but 
believing. Thomas answered and said to Him : My Lord and my 
God. Jesus saith to him : Because thou hast seen Me, Thomas, 
thou hast believed; blessed are they that have not seen, and have 
believed. Many other signs also did Jesus in the sight of His dis- 
ciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written 
that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and 
that, believing, you may have life in His name. 

7. y^esus was see7i by the Eleven on the Mountain in Ga:lilee. — The 
eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus 
had appointed them. And seeing, they adored, but some doubted. 
And Jesus, coming, spoke to them, saying : All power is given to Me 
in heaven and on earth ; going, therefore, teach ye all nations, bap- 
tizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have 
commanded you. And behold, I am with you all days, even to the 
consummation of the world. 

8. Christ was seen by Five Hundred Brethren at the Same Time. 
— After that He was seen by five hundred brethren at once, of 
whom many remain until this present, and some are fallen asleep 
(i Cor. XV. 6). 

9. Christ 7i>as see?! by y^ames. — After that He was seen by James, 
and then by all the apostles (i Cor. xv. 7). 

10. y esus was seen by the Disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. — There 
were together Simon Peter, and Thomas, who is called Didymus, 



404 The Resun^ectioii and Ascension, -{a.u.ssi/j 

and Nathanael, who was of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebe- 
dee, and two others of His disciples. Simon Peter saith to them : I 
go a-fishing. They say to him : We also come with thee. And 
they went forth and entered into the ship ; and that night they 
caught nothing. But when the morning was come, Jesus stood on 
the shore ; yet the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus 
therefore said to them: Children, have you any meat? They 
answered him : No. He saith them : Cast the net on the right 
side of the ship, and you shall find. They cast, therefore, and now 
they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. That dis- 
ciple, therefore, whom Jesus loved said to Peter : It is the Lord. 
Simon Peter, when he heard that it was the Lord, girt his coat 
about him (for he v/as naked), and cast himself into the sea. But 
the other disciples came in the ship (for they were not far from 
the land, but as it were two hundred cubits), dragging the net with 
fishes. As soon, then, as they came to land, they saw hot coals 
lying, and a fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith to them : 
Bring hither of the fishes which you have now caught. Simon 
Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of great fishes, one 
hundred fifty-three. And although there were so many, the net was 
not broken. Jesus saith to them : Come, and dine. And none of 
them who were at meat durst ask him : Who art thou ? knowing 
that it was the Lord. And Jesus cometh and taketh bread, and 
giveth them a fish in like manner. This is now the third time 
that Jesus was manifested to His disciples after He was risen from 
the dead. When, therefore, they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon 
Peter : Simon, son of John, lovest thou Me more than these ? He 
saith tr Him: Yea, Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee. He 
saith to him : Feed My lambs. He saith to him again : Simon, 
son of John, lovest thou Me ? He saith to Him : Yea, Lord, Thou 
knowest that I love Thee. He saith to him : Feed My lambs. He 
said to him the third time : Simon, son of John, lovest thou Me ? 
Peter was grieved, because He had said to him the third time, 
Lovest thou Me ? And he said to Him : Lord, Thou knowest all 
things : Thou knowest that I love Thee. He said to him : Feed 



A.D. 33'/2f The Resurrection and Ascension. 405 

My sheep. Amen, amen I say to thee: When thou wast younger, 
thou didst gird thyself, and didst walk where thou wouklst ; but 
when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and 
another shall gird thee, and lead thee whither thou wouldst not. 
And this He said, signifying by what death he should glorify God. 
And when He had said this, He saith to him : Follow Me. Peter, 
turning about, saw that disciple whom Jesus loved following, who 
also leaned on His breast at supper, and said : Lord, who is he that 
shall betray Thee ? Him, therefore, when Peter had seen, he saith 
to Jesus : Lord, and what shall this man do ? Jesus saith to him : 
So I will have him to remain till I come, what is it to thee ? Follow 
thou Me. This saying, therefore, went abroad among the brethren, 
that that disciple should not die. And Jesus did not say to him : 
He should not die ; but : So I will have him to remain till I come, 
what is it to thee ? 

II. Lastly, Jesus was seen by the Apostles m Jerusalem befoi'e 
He led them out to Bethajiia, and ascended into Heaven. — While the 
apostles were speaking these things, Jesus stood in the midst of 
them, and saith to them : Peace be to you ; it is I, fear not. But 
they, being troubled and frighted, supposed that they saw a spirit. 
And He said to them : Why are you troubled, and why do thoughts 
aris'^ in your hearts ? See My hands and feet, that it is I Myself; 
handle, and see ; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see 
IMe to have. And when He had said this. He showed them His 
hands and feet. But while they yet believed not, and wondered for 
joy, He said : Have you here anything to eat ? And they offered 
Him a piece of a broiled fish and a honey-comb. And when He 
had eaten before them, taking the remains. He gave to them. And 
He saitl to them : These are the words which I spoke to you while 
I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled which 
are written in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the 
Psalms concerning Me. Then He opened their understanding, 
that they might understand the Scriptures ; and He said to them : 
Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise 
again from the dead the third day ; and that penance and remis- 










t.5 ^ 



..^£U 



A.D. 33^{- The Resttrrectioii and Asceiision, 407 

sion of sins should be preached in His name unto all nations, begin- 
ning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. And I 
send the promise of My Father upon you ; but stay you in the city 
till you be endued with power from on high. And He led them 
out as far as Bethania; and lifting up His hands, He blessed them. 
And it came to pass, whilst He blessed them, He departed from 
them, and was carried up into heaven. 

12. The Ascension of J^esus Christ. — Thus, the ascension of Jesus 
Christ took place in presence of the apostles, to whom He showed 
Himself alive after His passion by many proofs, for forty days 
appearing to them, and speaking of the kingdom of God ; and eating 
together with them. He commanded them that they should rot 
depart from Jerusalem, but should wait for the promise of the Father, 
which you have heard (saith He) by My mouth ; for John indeed 
baptized with water, but you shall be baptized by the Holy Ghost 
not many days hence. They therefore who had come together 
asked Him, saying: Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the 
kingdom to Israel? But He said to them: It is not for you to 
know the times or moments which the Father hath put in His own 
power; but you shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost coming 
upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto Me in Jerusalem, and in 
all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of the earth. 
And when He had said these things, while they looked on. He was 
raised up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight ; and while 
they were beholding Him going up to heaven, behold two men stood 
by them in white garments, who also said : Ye men of Galilee, why 
stand you looking up to heaven ? This Jesus who is taken up from 
you into heaven shall so come as you have seen Him going into 
heaven. 

QUESTIONS. 

How do you show the importance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ? 
Describe the apparition of Jesus Christ to JMary Magdalene? To Mary and 
the other Mary? To the two disciples going to Enimaus ? Where is the 
apparition of Peter mentioned in the Bible? Describe the apparition to the 
apostles in the absence of Thomas ? Also, in the presence of Thomas? I'o 
the eleven at the mountain in Galilee? Where is the manifestation to the 



4o8 The Apostles — St. Peter. ] ad. 3^-69 

five hundred brethren and to James mentioned? Describe the apparition 
at the Sea of Tiberias? Likewise at Jerusalem and Bethania ? How is the 
ascension related in the Bible ? 



CHAPTER XLVIII. 




THE APOSTLES OF JESUS CHRIST. ST. PETER. A.D. 34-69. 

First Peter, Paul, two Jameses, John and Jude ; 

Next Andrew, Matthew, and Bartholomew ; 
Simon Zelotes, l^hilip, Thomas rude : 

These, wiih Matthias, show the twelve to view. 

HE Acts of the Apostles have been very aptly styled *' the 
Gospel of the Holy Ghost," because they show the 
growth and development of the Church under the 
admmistration of the Holy Spirit, as the four narratives 
of the Evangelists describe its beginnings and formation under 
Jesus Christ. They might be divided into two books : one that of 
St. Peter, containing the first twelve chapters ; the other that of St. 
Paul, composed of the remaining sixteen chapters. St. Luke, the 
author of the Acts, writes the history of St. Peter down to the death 
of Herod, and that of St. Paul to his arrival at Rome. Other apos- 
tles and disciples are mentioned only incidentally. 

2. Now, Jesus Christ was crucified on the 25th of March, in the 
thirty-fourth year of His age, 2,327 years after the Flood; in the 
fourth year of the 202d Olympiad; 785 years after the building of 
Rome ; in the 487th year from the beginning of the seventy weeks 
of Daniel. He arose from the dead on the 27th of March. He 
ascended into heaven forty days after, on the 5th of May. He sent 
the Holy Ghost on the fiftieth day after, the Feast of Pentecost, 
the 15th of May. 

3. After the ascension of Christ, the apostles returned to Jerusa- 
lem to await the descent of the Holy Spirit, and prepare themselves 
to bear testimony to Jesus Christ. They went into an upper room, 
and were continually in prayer with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and 
other holy women who had been followers of Jesus. 



A.D. 34- 69 1 The Apostles — St. Peter. 409 

4. While Christ lived on earth, He was the visible Lord and 
Head of His Church. To Him succeeded Simon Bar Jona, to whom 
was promised the name of Peter, on whom was conferred the 
name of Peter. On Peter Christ promised to build His 
Church ; to Peter Christ promised the keys of the kingdom 
of heaven, and also undivided and unrestricted power of for- 
giving and retaining sins. The other apostles received the power of 
forgiving and retaining sins in an unrestricted but not in an undivided 
manner. After the resurrection, Christ fulfilled His promises to 
Peter, and in the presence of the apostles on the shore of Galilee 
conferred on Peter full powers of feeding and directing His whole 
flock, the lambs and sheep, that is, the universal Church. 

5. By the fall of Judas, a vacancy was made in the college of the 
apostles, which Peter, as prince, of the apostles, proceeded to fill. 
At the ascension of Christ, there were at least eleven apostles, 
seventy-two disciples, and five hundred brethren. At an assembly 
of about one hundred and twenty brethren, Peter rose up and said : 

First Ser7'ion of St. Peter. 
Men brethren, the Scripture must needs be fulfilled which the 
Holy Ghost spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas 
who was the leader of them that apprehended Jesus, who was 
numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. And he 
indeed hath possessed a field of the reward of iniquity, and, being 
hanged, burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out ; 
and it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that 
the same field was called in their tongue Haceldama, that is 
to say, the field of blood ; for it is written in the Book of Psalms : 
Let their habitation become desolate, and let there be none to dwell 
therein, and his bishopric let another take. Wherefore of these men 
who have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus came 
in and went out among us, beginning from 'the baptism of John until 
the day wherein he was taken up from us, one of these must be made 
a witness with us of His resurrection. The brethren appointed two, 
Joseph, surnamed Barsabas, who is called Justus, and Matthias. 



410 The Apostles — St. Peter. \ a.d. 34-69 

Having prayed and cast lots, they numbered Matthias with the 
apostles. 

6. The days of the Pentecost being accomplished, the apostles 
were all together in the same place, and suddenly there came a 
sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the 
whole house where they were sitting ; and there appeared to them 
parted tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of them ; 
and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they began to 
speak with divers tongues, according as the Holy Ghost gave them 
to speak. At that time there were in Jerusalem men from many 
nations — from Parthia, Media, Elam, and Mesopotamia; from 
Lybia, Egypt, and Arabia; from Pamphylia, Phrygia, Pontus, and 
Cappadocia ; from Asia, Crete, and Rome. Hearing illiterate GaH- 
leans speaking in their several languages, they were seized with won- 
der and astonishment; but some said the apostles were drunk. 
Then Peter, Hfting up his voice, addressed the multitude : 

Seco7id Servio?i of St. Peter. 
Ye men of Judea, and all you that dwell in Jerusalem, be this 
known to you, and with your ears receive ray words; for these are 
not drunk, as you suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 
But this is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel : And it 
shall come to pass, in the last days (saith the Lord) I will pour out 
of My Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall 
prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men 
shall dream dreams. And upon My servants indeed, and upon My 
handmaids, will I pour out in those days of My Spirit, and they shall 
prophesy; and I will show wonders in the heaven above, and signs 
on the earth beneath, blood and fire, and vapor of smoke ; the sun 
shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the 
great and manifest day of the Lord come. And it shall come to 
pass that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be 
saved. Ye men of Israel, hear these words : Jesus of Nazareth, a 
man approved of God among you by miracles, and wonders, and 
signs which God did by Him in the midst of you, as you also 



A.D. 34-69 [ The Apostles — 6^/. Peter. 4 1 1 

know, this same being delivered up, by the determinate counsel 
and foreknowledge of God, you by the hands of wicked men have 
crucified and slain ; whom God hath raised up, having loosed the 
sorrows of hell, as it was impossible that He should be holden by it, 
For David saith concerning Him: I foresaw the Lord before my 
face always, because He is at my right hand, that I may not 
be moved ; for this my heart hath been glad, and my tongue hath 
rejoiced ; moreover, my flesh also shall rest in hope, because Thou 
wilt not leave my soul in hell, nor suffer thy Holy One to see cor- 
ruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life, and Thou 
shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Ye men brethren, 
let me freely speak to you of the patriarch David, that he died, and 
was buried, and his sepulchre is with us to this present day. 
Whereas, therefore, he was a prophet, and knew that God had sworn 
to him with an oath that of the fruit of his loins one should sit upon 
his throne ; foreseeing this, he spoke of the resurrection of Christ, 
for neither was He left in hell, neither did His flesh see corruption. 
This Jesus hath God raised again, whereof all we are witnesses. 
Being exalted, therefore, by the right hand of God, and having 
received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath 
poured forth this which you see and hear. For David ascended not 
into heaven, but he himself said : The Lord said to my Lord, sit 
thou on My right hand, until I make thy enemies thy footstool. 
Therefore, let all the house of Israel know most certainly that God 
hath made Him both Lord and Christ, this same Jesus whom you 
have crucified. 

This sermon of St. Peter was followed by the conversion of three 
thousand. These were baptized and received into the Church. 
The first disciples sold their possessions, and held their property in 
common. Thus united by the same interests, and joined together by 
membership in the same Church, they lived in the doctrine of the 
apostles, in the communication of the breaking of bread, and in prayer, 

7. A short time after, Peter and John went up to the temple. 
There, after working a miracle upon a man lame from his mother's 
womb, Peter spoke to the people, and converted five thousand. 



A.D. 34-69 [- The Apostles — St. Peter. 413 

Third Se?'?non of Si. Peter [Ac/s Hi.) 
Ye men of Israel, why wonder you at this ? Or why look you upon 
us, as if by our virtue or power we had made this man to walk ? The 
God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the 
God of our fathers, hath glorified His Son Jesus, whom you indeed 
delivered up and denied before the face of Pilate when he judg^ed 
He should be released. Bat you denied the Holy One and the 
Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you. But the Author 
of life you killed, whom God hath raised from the dead, of which we 
are witnesses. And in the faith of His name, this man whom you 
have seen and know, hath His name strengthened ; and the faith 
which is by him hath given this perfect soundness in the sight of you 
all. And now, brethren, I know that you did it through ignorance, 
as did also your rulers. But those things which God before had 
showed by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ should 
suifer. He hath so fulfilled. Repent, therefore, and be converted, 
that your sins may be blotted out ; that, when the times of refresh- 
ment shall come from the presence of the Lord, and He shall send 
Him who hath been preached unto you, Jesus Christ, whom heaven 
indeed must receive until the times of the restitution of all things, 
which God hath spoken by the mouth of His holy prophets from the 
beginning of the world. For Moses said : A prophet shall the Lord 
your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me ; Him 
you shall hear according to all things whatsoever He shall speak to 
you. And it shall be that every soul which will not hear that 
prophet shall be destroyed from among the people. And all the 
prophets from Samuel and afterwards who have spoken have told 
of these days. You are the children of the prophets and of the testa- 
ment which God made to our fathers, saying to Abraham : And in 
thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. To you first 
God, raising up His Son, hath sent Him to bless you, that every one 
may convert himself from his wickedness, 

8. On account of the miracle wrought on the blind man, and 
because they converted the people, Peter and John were cast into 
prison. When they were brought before the Sanhedrim, Peter said ; 



A.D. 34-69 [ The Apostles — St. Peter, 415 

Fourth Sermon of St. Peter. 
Ye princes of the people and ancients, hear: If we this day are ex- 
amined concerning the good deed done to the infirm man, by what 
means he hath been made whole, be it known to you all, and to all 
the people of Israel, that by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ of 
Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God hath raised from the dead, 
even by Him this man standeth here before you whole. This is the 
stone which was rejected by you the builders, which is become the 
head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other; for 
there is no other name under heaven given to men whereby we must 
be saved. 

9. The same year, Ananias and his wife Saphira were struck dead 
before Peter, because they sold a field and kept by fraud from the 
treasury of the Church a part of the price. Then came great fear 
upon all the Church and upon all that heard of God's judgment 
upon Ananias and Saphira. But the apostles wrought many signs 
and wonders among the people ; and the multitude of men and 
women who believed in the Lord were more increased, insomuch 
that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them o-n 
beds and couches, that, when Peter came, his shadow at the least 
might overshadow any of them, and they might be delivered from 
their infirmities. There came also together to Jerusalem a multitude 
out of the neighboring cities, bringing sick persons and such as were 
troubled with unclean spirits, who were all healed. 

10. Seeing that Peter and the apostles continued to work miracles 
and bear witness to Jesus, the high-priest apprehended and cast 
them into prison. An angel set them free, and commanded them to 
speak in the temple. Thence they were again led to the council, 
where Peter with noble bravery bore testimony to Jesus Christ. 
Gamaliel, a Pharisee and doctor of the Law, pleaded for the apos- 
tles, saying : Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you 
intend to do as touching these men ; for before these days rose up 
Theodas, affirming himself to be somebody, to whom a number of 
men — about four hundred — joined themselves, who were slain, and 
all that believed him were scattered, and brought to nothing. After 



A.D. 34-69 j- The Apostles — St. Peter. 417 

this man rose up Judas of Galilee, in the days of the enrolling, and 
drew away the people after him : he also perished ; and all, even as 
many as consented to him, were dispersed. And now, therefore, I 
say to you, refrain from these men, and let them alone; for if this 
counsel or this work be of men, it will come to naught; but if it be 
of God, you cannot overthrow it, lest perhaps you be found even to 
fight against God, Being scourged, and commanded not to preach 
the name of Jesus, the apostles departed, and rejoiced that they 
were accounted worthy to suffer for their Master. In the same year, 
the first of St. Peter's pontificate, a dissension arose between the 
Greeks and the Hebrews. To preserve good feeling among the 
converts of both nations, seven deacons were appointed, of whom 
St. Stephen was, as it were, the archdeacon. Stephen was full of 
grace and fortitude — performed miracles and worked great signs 
among the people. He was accused before the council by the 
Libertines, Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, whom he had confounded, 
that he spoke against the holy place and the Law, and was a 
preacher of Jesus Christ. Being condemned, he was led without 
the city to be stoned, and received, on the 26th of December, the 
crown and name of protomartyr, as he prayed : " Lord, lay not this 
sin to their (his persecutors') charge." The conversion of St. Paul is 
ascribed to the prayer of Stephen. The speech of St. Stephen before 
the Sanhedrim breathes the true apostolic spirit, and contains much 
valuable historical information. Standing before the Sanhedrim, with 
his face shining like the face of an angel, St. Stephen spoke : " Ye 
men, brethren, and fathers, hear : The God of glory appeared to our 
father Abraham when he was in Mesopotami, before he dwelt in 
Charan, and said to him : Go forth out of thy country and from thy 
kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee. Then he 
went out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charan. And 
from thence, after his father was dead, he removed him into this 
land, wherein you now dwell. And He gave him no inheritance in it ; 
no, not the pace of a foot; but He promised to give it him in pos- 
session, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child. 
And God said to him that his seed should sojourn in a strange 



41 8 The Apostles — St, Peter. ]a.d. 34-69 

country, and that they should bring them under bondage, and treat 
them evil four hundred years ; and the nation which they shall serve 
will I judge, said the Lord; and after these things, they shall go out 
and shall serve Me in this place. And He gave him the covenant 
of circumcision; and so he begot Isaac, and circumcised him the 
eighth day ; and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob the twelve patri- 
archs. And the patriarchs, through envy, sold Joseph into Egypt; and 
God was with him, and delivered him out of all his tribulations ; and 
He gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharao, the King of 
Egypt, and he appointed him governor over Egypt and over all 
his house. Now, there came a famine upon all Egypt and Canaan, 
and great tribulation, and our fathers found no food; but when 
Jacob had heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent our fathers 
first : and at the second time Joseph was known by his brethren, 
and his kindred was made known to Pharao ; and Joseph, sending, 
called thither his father, Jacob, and all his kindred, seventy-five 
souls. So Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, and our 
fathers ; and they were translated into Sichem, and were laid in the 
sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of 
Hemor, the son of Sichem. And when the time of the promise 
drew near which God had promised to Abraham, the people increased 
and was multiplied in Egypt till another king arose in Egypt who 
knew not Joseph. This same, dealing craftily with our race, afflicted 
our fathers, that they might expose their children, to the end they 
might not be kept alive. At the same time was Moses born, and he 
was acceptable to God, who was nourished three months in his 
father's house. And when he was exposed, Pharao's daughter took 
him up, and nourished him for her own son. And Moses was 
instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in 
his words and in his deeds. And when he was full forty years old, 
it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel ; 
and when he had seen one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, 
and, striking the Egyptian, he avenged him who suffered the injury. 
And he thought that his brethren understood that God by His hand 
would save them ; but they understood it i)ot. And the day 



A.D. 34-69 [ The Apostles — St. Peter. 419 

following he showed himself to them when they were at strife 
and would have reconciled them in peace, saying: Men, ye 
are brethren, why hurt you one another ? But he that did 
the injury to his neighbor thrust him aw^ay, saying: Who hath ap- 
pointed thee prince and judge over us ? What, wilt thou kill me, as 
thou didst yesterday kill the Egyptian ? And Moses fled upon this 
word, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begot two 
sons. And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in 
the desert of Mount Sina an angel in a flame of fire in a bush. And 
Moses, seeing it, wondered at the sight: and, g,s he drew near to 
view it, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying : I am the God 
of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God 
of Jacob. And Moses, being terrified, durst not behold. And the 
Lord said to him : Loose the shoes from thy feet, for the place 
wherein thou standest is holy ground. Seeing I have seen the afflic- 
tion of My people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, 
and am come down to deliver them. And now come, and I will send 
thee into Egypt. This Moses whom they refused, saying: Who 
hath appointed thee prince and judge ? — him God sent to be prince 
and redeemer by the hand of the angel \\\\o appeared to him in the 
bush. He brought them out, doing wonders and signs in the land 
of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the desert forty years. This is 
that Moses who said to the children of Israel: A prophet shall God 
raise up to you of your own brethren ; as myself. Him shall you hear. 
This is He that was in the church in the wilderness, with the angel 
who spoke to him on Mount Sina, and with our fathers, who received 
the words of life to give unto us; whom our fathers would not 
obey, but thrust Him away, and in their hearts turned back into 
Egypt, saying to Aaron : Make us gods to go before us ; for as for 
this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we know not 
what is become of him. And they made a calf in those days, and 
offered sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of tlieir own 
hands. And God turned, and gave them up to serve the host of 
heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets : Did you offer 
victims and sacrifices to Me for forty years in the desert, O house of 



420 The Apostles — St. Peter. |a.d, 34-69 

Israel ? And you took unto you the tabernacle of Moloch, and the 
star of your god Rempham, figures which you made, to adore them. 
And I will carry you away beyond Babylon. The tabernacle of the 
testmiony was with our fathers in the desert, as God ordained for 
them, speaking to Moses that he should make it according to the 
form which he had seen Which also our fathers receiving, brought 
in with Jesus, into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drove 
out before the face ot our fathers, unto the days- of David. Who 
found grace before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God 
of Jacob. But Solomon built Him a house. Yet the Most High 
dwelleth not in houses made by hand; as the prophet saith : Heaven 
is My throne, and the earth My footstool. What house will you 
build Me ? saith the Lord ; or what is the place of My resting ? Hath 
not My hand made all these things ? You stiff-necked and uncircum- 
cised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Ghost; as your 
fathers did, so do you also. Which of the prophets have not your 
fathers persecuted ? And they have slain them who foretold of the 
coming of the Just One, of whom you have been now the betrayers 
and murderers. Who have received* the law by the disposition of 
angels, and have not kept it.' 

1 1. On the second year of St. Peter's pontificate, a persecution 
rose against the Churcn at Jerusalem, and scattered the members, 
except the apostles, through Judea and Samaria. Philip, the deacon, 
came to Samaria, and founded a church- there. Thither came St. 
Peter and St. John from Jerusalem to confirm the Samaritans by 
imparting to them the Holy Ghost. There St. Peter first rebuked 
Simon Magus, who thought that the Holy Ghost might be purchased 
with money. From Samaria PhiliiD* was called by an angel to 
convert and baptize on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza a eunuch 
of Candace, Queen of Ethiopia, and afterwards, being caught up by 
an angel, was taken to Azotus, whence he preached through all the 
cities as far as Cesarea. 

12. Now, when the persecution was over, and the Church had 
peace throughout all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria, and was 
edifi-e-d walking in the fear of the Lord, and was filled with the con- 



A.D. 34-69- The Apostles — St. Peter. 421 

solation of the Holy Ghost, St. Peter went to visit the congregations 
of the saints. At Lydda, he cured Eneas, who had been ill with 
palsy for eight years. In Joppe, he raised to life Tabitha, a woman 
renowned for alms-deeds and good works. At Joppe, St. Peter had 
the vision of all manner of four-footed beasts, and creeping things of 
the earth, and fowls of the air, to signify that all men, Jew and 
Gentile, bound and free, should be received into the Church. From 
Joppe, St. Peter was called to Cesarea, where Cornelius the centurion 
and his kinsman and friends became converts, and were baptized. 
On St. Peter's return to Jerusalem, he was asked by the Jews: 

Fifth Sermo?i of St. Peter. 
Why didst thou 'go in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with 
them } Peter began and declared to them the matter in order, say- 
ing : I was in the city of Joppe praying, and I saw in an ecstasy of 
mind a vision : a certain vessel descending, as it were, a great sheet 
let down from heaven by four corners, and it came even unto me. 
Into which looking, I considered, and saw four-footed creatures of 
the earth, and beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And 
I heard also a voice saying to me : Arise, Peter, kill a'nd eat. And 
I said: Not so, Lord, for nothing common or unclean hath ever 
entered into my mouth. And the voice answered again from heaven : 
What God hath made clean do not thou call common. And this 
was done three times ; and all were taken up again into heaven 
And behold, immediately there were three men come to thje house 
wherein I was, sent to me from Cesarea. And the Spirit said to me 
that I should go with them, nothing doubting. And these six 
brethren went with me also ; and we entered into the man's house. 
And he told us how he had seen an angel in his house, standing and 
saying to him : Send to Joppe, and call hither Simon, who is sur- 
named Peter, who shall speak to thee words whereby thou shalt be 
saved, and all thy house. And when I had begun to speak, the Holy 
Ghost fell upon them, as upon us also in the beginning. And I re- 
membered the word of the Lord, how that He said : John, indeed, 
baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. 







^^ 



A.I). j.i-69[ The Apostles — St. Paid. 423 

If, then, God gave them the same grace as to us also, who believed 
in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that could withstand God ? 
St. Peter established his see at Antioch, in the year of this vision, 
A.D. 37, and' in the same year the apostles composed the Apostles' 
Creed, and, according to the command of Christ, were scattered to 
preach the Gospel to the nations of the world. About the same 
time took place the persecution of Herod, in which Peter was im- 
prisoned and delivered by an angel, and went down to Cesarea. 
Herod was struck by an angel while speaking to the Tyrians and 
Sidonians, and, being eaten up with worms, gave up the ghost. 
After seven years at Antioch, St. Peter transferred his see to Rome. 
At Rome, he ruled the Church twenty-five years, and, according to 
the prophecy of Christ, suffered death on the cross. 

QUESTIONS. 

How often and when was St. Peter incarcerated ? Give the occasion and 
substance of the five sermons mentioned above ? What miracles did St. 
Peter work on the lame man Eneas and Tabitha? Give the exact date of 
the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, the Ascension, and the Pentecost? What 
powers did St. Peter receive from Jesus Christ? Describe the election of 
Matthias? Describe the descent of the Holy Ghost? What was the result 
of St. Peter's first sermons to the people? How did Gamaliel plead for the 
apostles? Who was St. Stephen? State the substance of his speech before 
the Sanhedrim ? What places were visited by St. Peter after the first persecu- 
tion ? What works are recorded of Philip the deacon? How did Herod 
die? How St. Peter? 



CHAPTER XLIX. 

THE APOSTLES OF JESUS CHRIST — ST. PAUL. — A.D. 34-69. 

N the first year after the Ascension, as Saul was 
proceeding to Damascus to bind the Christians in 
chains and drag them to Jerusalem, Jesus Christ 
appeared to him and struck him blind. When he had 
reached Damascus, Christ sent Ananias to him, the scales fell from 
his eyes, his sight was restored, and he was baptized. Being changed. 




424 The Apostles St. Paul, Ja.d 34-69 

froip. a bitter persecutor to a zealous and fiery disciple of Jesus 
Christ. Paul incurred the enmity of the Jews, and, escaping from 
Damascus, was brought by. Barnabas to the apostles at Jerusalem. 
To escape the plots of his countrymen, he fled to Cesarea, thence to 
Tarsus, and thence wich Barnabas to Antioch. P'rom Antioch Paul 
and Barnabas were sent, after a year, to bear alms to the Christians 
of that city during the famine which the prophet Agabo had foretold. 
2. Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch a.d. 45 and, while 
they were praying and fasting with the saints, were called by God, 
and consecrated to preach the Gospel among the Gentiles. In the 
year ad. 46, they passed though Seleucia and Cyprus, and came 
to Paphos. Here St. Paul converted the proconsul Sergius Paulus? 
.and struck Barjesu blind. Barjesu, otherwise Elyroas, the magician, 
endeavored to dissuade the proconsul from the doctrine of Christ; 
but St. Paul, filled. with the Holy Ghost, said: O full of all guile 
and of all deceit, child of the devil, enemy of all justice, thou 
ceasest not to pervert the right ways of the Lord. And now behold 
the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not see- 
ing the sun for a time. And immediately there fell a mist and 
darkness upon him, and, going about, he sought some one to lead 
him by the hand. Then the proconsul, when he had seen what was 
done, believed, admiring at the doctrine of the Lord. After, Paul came 
to Perge, and thence passed to Antioch of Pisidia. There he and 
Barnabas entered into controversy with the Jews, were expelled 
from the city, and came to Iconium, a city in Lycaonia. Here 
the Lord blessed their labors, and added many converts to the 
Church. Driven from Iconium, they came to Lystra and Derbe, 
At Lystra, Paul healed a cripple from his mother's womb ; which 
when the multitude saw, they called Paul Mercury, and Barnabas 
Jupiter. With difficulty the multitude was restrained from offering 
sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas as to gods come down on earth. 
But certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium persuaded the multi- 
tude so that it stoned Paul, and drew him out of the city, thinking 
him to be dead. Paul, however, rose up and entered into the city ; 
next passed to Lystra_ from Lystra to Iconium, from Iconium to 



A.D 34-69 f The Apostles — St, Paul, 425 

Antioch, from Antioch through Pisidia, from Pisidia through Pam- 
phyha to Derbe, thence down to AttaHa, whence they returned by 
ship to Antioch, and related to the assembled church their won- 
drous works among the Gentiles. This was about a.d. 51. 

3. A controversy at Antioch with certain brethren from Judea on 
the necessity of circumcision to salvation led to the first and model 
oecumenical council of tlie Church. Paul and Barnabas, and certain 
others of the other side, went up to the apostles and priests to Jeru- 
salehi on this question. Certain Pharisees, that believed, contended 
that men must be circumcised and commanded to observe the 
Law of Moses. Then the apostles and ancients met in council 
to consider of the matter. After much disputing, Peter, rising 
up, said to them : Men, brethren, you know that in former days 
God made choice among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should 
hear the word of the Gospel, and believe. And God, who knoweth 
the hearts, gave testimony, giving unto them the Holy Ghost as 
well as to us, and put no difference between us and them, purifying 
their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why tempt you God to put 
a yoke upon the necks of the disciples which neither our fathers 
nor we have been able to bear ? But by the grace of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, we believe to be saved in like manner as they also. 
And all the multitude held their peace ; and they heard Barnabas 
and Paul telling what great signs and w'onders God had wrought 
among the Gentiles by them. And after they had held their peace? 
James answered, saying : Men, brethren, hear me. Simon hath 
related how God first visited to take of the Gentiles a people to 
his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets, as it is 
written : After these things, I will return, and will rebuild the taber- 
nacle of David, which is fallen down ; and the ruins thereof I \\\\\ 
rebuild, and I will set it up, that the residue of men may seek after 
the Lord, and all nations upon w^hom My name is invoked, saith 
the Lord who doth these thing. To the Lord was His own work 
known from the beginning of the world. For which cause I judge 
that they wlio from among the Gentiles are converted to God are 
not to be disquieted ; but that we write unto them that they refrain 



426 The Apostles — St. Paul. -j a. d. 34-69 

themselves from the pollutions of idols, and fornication, and from 
things strangled, and from blood. For Moses of old time hath in 
every city them that preach him in the synagogues, where he is 
read every Sabbath. Then it pleased the apostles and ancients, 
with the whole church, to choose men of their own company, and 
to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas, who 
was surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren, 
writing by their hands : The apostles and ancients brethren, to the 
brethren of the Gentiles that are at Antioch, and in Syria and Cili- 
cia, greeting. Forasmuch as we have heard that some going out 
from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, to 
whom we gave no commandment, it hath seemed good to us, being 
assembled together, to choose out men, and to send them unto you 
with our well-beloved Barnabas and Paul — men that have given 
their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have sent, 
therefore, Judas and Silas, who themselves also will by word of 
mouth tell you the same things. For it hath seemed good to the 
Holy Ghost and to us to lay no further burden upon you than 
these necessary things : That you abstain from things sacrificed to 
idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from forni- 
cation, from which things keeping yourselves, you shall do well. 
Fare ye well. They, therefore, being dismissed, went down to An- 
tioch ; and, gathering together the mukitude, delivered the epistle; 
which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation. 

4, Paul and Barnabas disagreed at Antioch, a.d. 51, on the ques- 
tion of taking John Mark as a companion on the next apostolic 
journey. Paul was unwilling, seeing that John Mark had separated 
from them in Pamphyha ; and while Barnabas and Mark sailed for 
Cyprus, he and Silas set out for Syria. After travelling through 
Syria and CiHcia, Paul and Silas came to Lystra, where Paul, to 
satisfy the Jews, circumcised Timothy. While Paul was meditating 
a journey through Asia and Bithynia, he was forbidden by the Holy 
Ghost, and saw in a vision a Macedonian calling on him to pass 
over and help the Greeks. He sailed from Troas to Samothracia, 
to Neapolis, to Philippi, a colonial city in Macedonia. There he 



A.D. 3469} The Apostles — St, Paul, 427 

converted Lydia, and drove a pythonical spirit out of a young girl. 
But the girl's masters, seeing that their hope of gain was gone, 
apprehended Paul and Silas, and had them cast into jail and 
scourged, and their feet cast into stocks in the inner prison. At 
midnight there came an earthquake, and the foundations of the 
prison were shaken, and all the doors were open, and the bonds of 
all were loosed. Next day they were set free, and, passing through 
Amphipolis and Apollonia, arrived at Thessalonica. Here they con- 
verted so great a multitude, and so great was the envy of the Jews, 
that Paul and Silas passed by night to Berea. Thither he was fol- 
lowed b*y Jews from Thessalonica, but, having left Silas and Timothy 
behind him, passed to Athens, where he converted Dionysius Areo- 
pagita, and preached Jesus Christ in the Areopagus, saying : Ye men 
of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious; 
for, passing by and seeing your idols, I found an altar also on which 
was written : To the unknown God. What, therefore, you worship 
without knowing it, that I preach to you. God, who made the world 
and all things therein, He being Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth 
not in temples made with hand ; neither is He served with men's 
hands as though He needed anything, seeing it is He who giveth to 
all life, and breath, and all things, and hath made of one all man- 
kind, to dwell upon the whole face of the earth, determining appointed 
times and the limits of their habitation, that they should seek God, 
if happily they may feel after Him or find Him, although He be not 
far from every one of us. For in Him we live, and move, and are, 
as some also of your own poets said : For we are also His offspring. 
Being, therefore, the offspring of God, we must not suppose the 
Divinity to be like unto gold, or silver, or stone, the graving of art 
and device of man. And God indeed having winked at the times 
of this ignorance, now declareth unto men that all should everywhere 
do penance ; because He hath appointed a day wherein He will 
judge the world in equity by the Man whom He hath appointed, 
giving faith to all by raising Him up from the dead. From Athens, 
St. Paul passed to Corinth. Here he worked at his trade with 
Aquila, a Jewish tent-maker from Pontus, and every Sabbath through 



42 The Apostles — St, Paul, Ja.d. 34-69 

eighteen months preached in the synagogue with indefatigable perse- 
verance. While at Corinth, he became wearied of the gainsaying 
and blasphemy of the Jews, and, having shaken his garments, said : 
Your blood be upon your own heads : I am clean ; from henceforth 
I will go unto the Gentiles. From Corinth Paul set sail for Syria, 
A,D. 53 ; thence he went to Ephesus, thence to Cesarea, thence to 
Jerusalem, and thence to Antioch. 

5. After Paul had spent some time at Antioch, he left, a.d. 54, and, 
having gone through Galatia and Phrygia, came to Ephesus. Here 
he baptized some disciples of John in the name of the Lord Jesus, 
and by the imposition of his hands the Holy Ghost came upon them 
so that they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Here Paul 
wrought many very great miracles, so that handkerchiefs and aprons 
brought from his body removed diseases from the sick, and caused 
wicked spirits to depart. Here the sons of Seva, a Jewish chief 
priest, attempted to exorcise, in the name of Jesus whom Paul 
preached, a demoniac; but the wicked spirit having answered: 
Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you ? the demoniac 
set upon them, beat them, and wounded them. Here magicians, 
astrologers, and others burned books on the curious arts to the value 
of fifty thousand pieces of silver. Here Demetrius, a silversmith, 
who made silver temples for Diana, and whose trade was injured by 
the preaching of Paul, raised disturbances so that all Ephesus cried 
out : Great is Diana of the Ephesians. From Ephesus St. Paul 
sent Timothy and Erastus into Macedonia, and after a time set for- 
ward to go thither himself, in the year a.d. 57. Thence he passed 
into Greece, and, returning by Macedonia, set sail from Philippi, and 
reached Troas in five days. At Troas, he raised Eutychus to life — a 
youth who had fallen from the third story and was taken up dead. 
Thence Paul travelled by land, and came to Assos, whence he went 
to Mytelene. Passing over against Chios, he arrived at Samos, and 
next reached Miletus. Thither he called the ancients of the Church 
of Ephesus, A.D. 58, and addressed them thus : You know from the 
first day that I came into Asia in what manner I have been with 
you for all the time, serving the Lord with all humility, and with 



A.D. 34-69}- The Apostles — St. Paul. 429 

tears and temptations which befell me by the conspiracies of the 
Jews ; liow I have kept back nothing that was profitable to you, but 
have preached it to you, and taught you publicly, and from house to 
house, testifying both, to Jews and Gentiles penance towards God, 
and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. • And now behold, being bound 
in the Spirit, I go to Jerusalem, not knowing the things which shall 
befall me there, save that the Holy Ghost in every city witnessetli 
to me, saying that bonds and affliction wait for me at Jerusalem. 
But I fear none of these' things, neither do I count my life more 
precious t'.ian myself, so that I may consummate my course and 
the ministry of the word which I received from the Lord Jesus to 
testify the Gospel of the grace of God. And now behold I know 
that all you among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of 
God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to witness 
this day that 1 am clear from the blood of all men ; for I have not 
spared to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed to 
yourselves and to the whole flock wherein the Holy Ghost hath 
placed you bishops, to rule the church of God, which he hath 
purchased with his own blood. I know that after my departure 
ravening wolves will enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 
And of your ownselves shall arise men speaking perverse things to 
draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, keeping in 
memory that for three years I ceased not with tears to admonish 
every one of you night and day ; and now I commend you to God 
and to the word of His grace, who is able to build up, and to give 
an inheritance among all the sanctified. I have not coveted any 
mnn's silver, gold, or apparel, as you yourselves know; for such 
things as were needful for me and them that are with me, these 
hands have furnished. I have showed you all things, how that so 
laboring you ought to support the weak, and to remember the word 
of the Lord Jesus, how he said : It is a more blessed thing to give, 
rather than to receive. After a sorrowful separation with the ancients 
of Ephesus, St. Paul went to Coos, thence to Rhodes, thence to 
Patara, thence to Phenice, and, leaving Cyprus on the left hand, sailed 
into Syria, and came to Tyre. From Tyre he passed through Ptolemais 



430 The Apostles — St. Paul. | a. d. 34-69 

to Cesarea, and abode with Philip, one of the seven deacons. 
Despite prophecy and persuasion, Paul went up to Jerusalem, know- 
ing that he was to be bound and delivered to the Gentiles, ^y the 
advice of St. James, St. Paul became a Nazarite to show his 
respect for the Law ; but the Asiatic Jews excited the people, 
dragged him from the temple, scourged him, and would have put 
him to death had he not been rescued by the Roman tribune. 

6. The rescue of Paul by the tribune was the beginning of his 
destination for Rome. He was bound with two chains, but, as he 
was about to enter the tribune's castle, he obtained permission to 
address the people. Amid profound silence, St. Paul .thus explained 
the history of his life : " I am a Jew, born at Tarsus in Cilicia, but 
brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to 
the truth of the Law of the fathers, zealous for the Law, as also all you 
are this day; who persecuted this way unto death, binding and de- 
livering into prisons both men and women. And as the high-priest 
doth bear me witness, and all the ancients, from whom also, receiving 
letters to the brethren, I went to Damascus, that I might bring them 
bound from thence to Jerusalem to be punished. And it came to 
pass, as I was going and drawing nigh to Damascus at mid-day, 
that suddenly from heaven there shone round about me a great 
light; and, faUing on the ground, I heard a voice saying to me : Saul, 
Saul, why persecutest thou Me ? And I answered : Who art Thou, 
Lord ? And He said to me : I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou 
persecutest. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, but 
they heard not the voice of Him that spoke with me. And I said : 
What shall I do, Lord ? And the Lord said to me : Arise and go 
to Damascus, and there it shall be told thee of all things that thou 
must do. And whereas I did not see for the brightness of that 
light, being led by the hand by my compani )ns, I came to Damas- 
cus. And one Ananias, a man according to the Law, having testi- 
mony of all the Jews who dwelt there, coming to me, and standing 
by me, said to me : Brother Saul, look up. And I the same hour 
looked upon him. But he said : The God of our fathers hath pre- 
ordained thee, that thou shouldst know His will, and see the Just 



A.D. 34-69}' The Apostles — St. Paul. 431 

One, and shouldst hear die voice from His moudi. For Uiou shalt 
be His witness to all men of those tilings which thou hast seen and 
heard. And now why tarriest thou ? Rise up, and be baptized, 
and wash away thy sins, invoking His name. And it came to pass, 
when I was come again to Jerusalem, and was praying in the temple, 
that I was in a trance, and saw Him saying unto me : Make haste 
and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem, because they will not receive 
thy testimony concerning Me. And I said : Lord, they know that 
I cast into prison and beat in every synagogue them that believed 
in Thee, and when the blood of Stephen, Thy witness, was shed, I 
stood by and consented, and kept the garments of them that killed 
him. And He said to me : Go, for unto the Gentiles afar off will I 
send thee," They heard him until this word, and then lifted up their 
voice, saying : Away with such an one from the earth, for it is not 
fit that he should live. And as they cried out, and threw off their 
garments, and cast dust into the air, the tribune commanded him to 
be brought into the castle, and that he should be scourged and 
tortured, to know for what cause they did so cry out against him. 
But on learning that St. Paul was a Roman citizen, the tribune was 
afraid. The next day Paul was brought before the council, and 
raised a great dissension among the Pharisees and Sadducees by 
stating that he was a Pharisee, and was accused on the question of 
the resurrection of the dead. 

7. Paul was again rescued by the tribune. The Lord appeared 
to him the following night, and revealed to him that he was to bear 
testimony in Rome as in Jerusalem. He was delivered, by the reve- 
lation of his sister's son, from a conspiracy of forty Jews, who had 
sworn not to eat or drink till they killed Paul. On the third hour, 
the tribune sent him with a strong detachment of troops to Governor 
Felix, at Cesarea, and wrote a letter after this manner : Claudius 
Lysias to the most excellent Governor Felix, greeting. This man 
being taken by the Jews, and ready to be killed* by them, I rescued 
coming in with an army, understanding that he is a Roman ; and 
meaning to know the cause which they objected unto him, I brought 
him forth into their council. Whom I found to be accused concern- 



432 The Apostles — St. PauL ' -{a.d. 34-69 

ing questions of their law, but having nothing laid to his charge 
worthy of death or of bonds. And when I was told of ambushes 
that they had prepared for him, I sent him to thee, signifying also 
to his accusers to plead before thee. Farewell. 

8. Paul defended himself against Ananias the high-priest, Tertullus 
the orator, and others that had come against him from Jerusalem to 
Governor Felix. He also preached the faith to the governor and 
his wife Priscilla. After two years, Felix was succeeded by Festus, 
and from Festus Paul appealed to Caesar. Festus then said : " Hast 
thou appealed to CaesAr ? To Caesar thou shalt go." Before setting 
out to Rome, St. Paul defended himself in presence of King Agrippa, 
Governor Festus, the tribunes, and the principal men of Cesarea, in 
tlie following noble speech : I think myself happy, O King xAgrippa, 
that I am to answer for myself this day before thee touching all the 
things whereof I am accused by the Jews, especially as thou knowest 
all, both customs and questions, that are among the Jews ; wherefore, 
I beseech thee to hear me patiently. And my life indeed from my 
youth, which was from the beginning among my own nation in Jeru- 
salem, all the Jews do know ; having known me from the beginning 
(if they will give testimony), that according to the most sure sect of 
our religion I lived a Pharisee. And now for the hope of the promise 
that was made by God to the fathers do I stand subject to judg-. 
meht, unto which our twelve tribes, serving night and day, hope to 
come. For which hope, O king, I am accused by the Jews. Why 
should it be thought a thing incredible to you that God should 
raise the dead ? And I indeed did formerly think that I ought to 
do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth, which 
also I did at Jerusalem, and many of the saints did I shut up in 
prisons, having received authority of the chief priests ; and when they 
were put to death, I brought the sentence. And oftentimes punish- 
ing them, in every synagogue I compelled them to blaspheme; and 
being yet more mad against them, I persecuted them even unto for- 
eign cities. Whereupon, when I was going to Damascus with 
authority and permission of the chief priests, at mid-day, O king, I 
saw in the way a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun, 



A.D.34-69I' The Apostles — St. Paid . 433 

shining round about me and them that were in company with me. 
And when we wer& all fallen down on the ground, I heard a voice 
speaking to me in the Hebrew tongue : Saul, Saul, why persecutest 
thou Me ? It is hard for thee to kick against the goad. And I 
said : Who art Thou, Lord ? And the Lord said : I am Jesus whom 
thou persecutest. But rise up and stand upon thy feet ; for to this 
end have I appeared to thee, that I may make thee a minister and 
a witness of* those things which thou hast seen, and of those things 
wherein I will appear to thee, delivering thee from the people, and 
from the nations unto which now I send thee, to open their eyes, 
that they may be converted from darkness to light, and from the 
power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins 
and a lot among the saints by the faitli that is in Me. Whereupon, 
O King Agrippa, I was not incredulous to the heavenly vision ; but 
to them first that are at Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and unto all 
the country of Judea, and to the Gentiles, did I preach, that they 
should do penance and turn to God, doing works worthy of pen- 
ance. For this cause, the Jews, when I was in the temple, having 
apprehended me, went about to kill me. But being aided by the 
help of God, I stand unto this day, witnessing both to small and 
great, saying no other thing than those which the prophets and 
Moses did say should come to pass, that Christ should suffer, and 
that He should be the first that should rise from the dead, and 
should show light to the people and to the Gentiles. 

9. Paul was delivered to Julius, a centurion, and was placed on 
board a ship of Adrumetum. The following day he came to Sidon, 
and, sailing under Cyprus because the winds were contrary, he 
traversed the Sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia to Lystra in Lycia. 
There, taking a ship of Alexandria bound to Italy, lie sailed by Crete 
near Salome to Goodhavens, a place near the city of Thalassa. 
Here the pilot, the master of the ship, and the greater part of the 
passengers did not wish to winter, and set sail, against the advice 
of Paul, for Phenice, a haven in Crete. They loosed from Asson, 
and were wafted with a gentle south wind close by Crete; but not 
long after, a tempestuous wind, called Euro-Aquilo, arose, and ran 



434 The Apostles — St Paul, ]a.d. 34-69 

the ship under the isle of Canda. The ship was ligh'tened, and the 
third day her tackhng was cast overboard. Neither sun nor stars 
appeared for many days, and a great storm blew, and all hope was 
banished. Now, when all had fasted for a long time, St. Paul arose 
in the midst of darkness, and storm, and despondency, and spoke : 
You should indeed, O ye men, have hearkened unto me, and not 
have loosed from Crete, and have gained this harm and loss. And 
now I exhort you to be of good cheer, for there shall be no loss of 
any man's life among you, but only of the ship. For an angel of 
God, whose I am, and whom I serve, stood by me this night, say- 
ing : Fear not, Paul, thou must be brought before Cesar, and behold, 
God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, 
be of good cheer, for I believe God, that it shall so be as it hath 
been told me. And we must come unto a certain island. After the 
fourteenth night, the words of Paul came to pass ; the ship was run 
aground on the isle of Melita, and lost, but all aboard, two hundred 
and seventy-six souls, were saved. In Melita, the crew was received 
courteously and humanely by the barbarians. The inhabitants, seeing 
St. Paul bitten by a viper, thought him to be a murderer, and that 
he would fall down and die ; but when they had seen no harm ensue, 
they took him to be a god. Publius, the chief man of the island's 
father, was healed of fever and a bloody flux by St. Paul ; whereupon 
all that had diseases in the island came and were healed. After 
three months in Melita, he sailed for Syracusa ; from Syracusa he 
passed to Rhegium ; from Rhegium to Puteoli; from Puteoli to the 
Appii Forum and the Three Taverns, whither the brethren of Rome 
came to meet him. Thence St. Paul passed to Rome a.d. 60. At 
Rome he converted many Gentiles, even of the household of Cesar. 
He also converted some Jews, but many did not believe. To the 
unbelievers he said : Well did the Holy Ghost speak to our fathers 
by Isaias the prophet, saying : Go to this people, and say to them : 
With the ear you shall hear and shall not understand, and seeing 
you shall see and shall not perceive. For the heart of this people is 
grown gross, and with their ears have they heard heavily, and their 
eyes have they shut, lest, perhaps, they should see with their eyes. 



A.D. 34-69 [- The Apostles — St. Paul, 435 

and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should 
be converted, and I should heal them. Be it known, therefore, to you, 
that this salvation of God is sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it. 

10. After St. Paul had been two years at Rome, he was granted 
his liberty, and preached the Gospel in Spain and many provinces. 
He returned to Rome a.d. 68, and was beheaded at Aquae Silviae, 
on the twenty-ninth of June, a.d. 69. 

11. St. Paul himself traces an admirable sketch of his life, charac- 
ter, and labors in 2 Cor. xi., xii. : They (the accusers and rivals 
of St. Paul) are Hebrews, so am I ; they are Israelites, so am I ; 
they are the seed of Abraham, so am I ; They are the ministers of 
Christ (I speak as one less wise), I am more; in many more labors, 
in prisons more frequently, in stripes above measure, in deaths often. 
Of the Jews, five times did I receive forty stripes, save one; thrice 
was I beaten with rods, once I was stoned, thrice I suffered ship- 
wreck, a night and a day I was in the depth of the sea. In jour- 
neying often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils from 
my own nation, in perils from the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in 
perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils from false 
brethren. In labor and painfulness, in much watchings, in hunger 
and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Besides those 
things which are without, my daily instance, the solicitude for all the 
churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak ? Who is scandalized, 
and I am not on fire ? If I must needs glory, I will glory of the 
things that concern my infirmity. The God and Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, who is blessed for ever, knoweth that I lie not. At 
Damascus, the governor of the nation under Aretas, the king, 
guarded the city of Damascenes to apprehend me ; and through a 
window in a basket was I let dow^n by the wall, and so escaped his 
hands. If I must glory (it is not expedient indeed) ; but I will 
come to the visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in 
Christ above fourteen years ago (whether in the body I know not, 
or out of the body I know not : God knoweth) such an one rapt even 
to the third heaven. And I know such a man (whether in the body 
or out of the body I cannot tell : God knoweth), that he was caught 



43^ The Remaining Apostles. ]a.d. 34-iox 

up into paradise, and heard secret words which it is not granted to 
man to utter. For such an one I will glory, but for myself I will 
glory nothing, but in my infirmities. For though 1 should have a 
mind to glory, I shall not be foolish, for I will say the truth ; but I 
forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth 
in me, or anything he heareth from me. And lest the greatness of 
the revelations should exalt me, there was given me a sting of my 
flesh, an angel of Satan, to buffet me. For which thing thrice I 
besought the Lord that it might depart from me. And He said to 
me : My grace is sufficient for thee, for power is made perfect in in- 
firmity. Gladly, therefore, will I glory- in my infirmities, that the 
power of Christ may dwell in me. For which cause I please myself 
in my infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in 
distresses for Christ ; for when I am weak, then am I powerful. 

QUESTIONS. 

Give the history of St. Paul to the time he was set apan with Barnabas to 
preach to the nations? Give the history of the first missionary journej of 
St. Paul from his departure out of Antioch to his return thereto? Trace the 
same on the map? What do you know of the Apostolic Council at Jeru- 
salem? Give the history of the second missionary journey of St. Paul from 
his departure out of Antioch to his return thereto? Draw on paper or a 
black board a map illustrating the same? Describe the missionary labors 
of St. Paul to his arrest at Jerusalem? Give the substance of St. Paul's 
statement of his career before the people? Before Agrippa and Festus? 
Describe his vo)'age to Rome? Illustrate it with a map? Give the char- 
acter of St. Paul from 2 Cor. xi,, xii.? 



CHAPTER L. 

THE REMAINING APOSTLES OF JESUS CHRIST. A.D. 34-IOI. 

T. JAMES the Greater was the brother of St. John the 
Evangelist, the relative of Christ, and the protomartyr 
of the apostles. St. James preached the Gospel in Spain, 
and returned to Judea during the persecution of Herod. 
He was accused by Josias, and beheaded at Jerusalem by order of 




A.D. 34-ioi|- The Remaining Apostles. 437 

Herod Agrippa, a.d. 44. It is related that St. James, by his piety 
and constancy before his martyrdom, converted and pardoned Josias, 
and kissed him, and said unto him : " Peace be with thee." Then 
the two were beheaded at the same time. 

2. St. James the Less, the son of Alpheus and Maria Cleophas, the 
brother of the Lord, was ordained Bishop of Jerusalem on the 27th of 
December, after the ascension of Jesus Christ. He never preached 
outside Judea. When the Jews were disappointed in murdering St. 
Paul, they turned in their rage on St. James, and, having precipitated 
him from the pinnacle of the temple, despatched him with a«club, 
A.D. ^T^. Josephus says the destruction of Jerusalem took place to 
avenge the death of *' James the Just, the brother of Jesus, called the 
Christ, because the Jews slew him though he was a most just man." 

3. St. John preached the Gospel in Asia Minor, and ruled the 
church of Ephesus and other churches to extreme old age. He 
also preached to the Parthians. He was brought to Rome during 
the persecution of Domitian, and cast into a cauldron of boiling oil; 
but he came forth more healthy and younger. He Avas then ban- 
ished (a.d. 97) to Patmos, where he wrote (a.d. 98) his Revelations, 
and died at Ephesus in the reign of Trajan, in the 97th year of his 
age, a.d. 1 01. 

4. St. Jiide preached in Lybia, Armenia, and Arabia. He was 
transfixed with arrows, and is supposed to have been buried in 
Persia or Armenia. He is also known as Thaddeus ; and two of 
his nephews are mentioned as having been brought before Domitian. 
He died a.d. 64. 

5. St. A?idre7ci, the brother of Peter, preached to the Scythians 
and Sogdianians. He is said to have preached in Epirus, and to 
have founded the church of Heraclea. He is claimed as an apostle 
by the Muscovites and Thracians. He was crucified by order of 
the Roman proconsul at Patrse, in Achaia, a.d. 62. 

6. St. Alatthew preached the Gospel in Ethiopia. Some say he 
died in peace ; but others with better reason assert that he suffered 
martyrdom by fire. The Greeks celebrate his festival on the- i6th 
of November. 



4 3 S ^-^^^ Rei'fici in ing Apostles . | a.d . 34-101 

7. St. Bartholomew preached the Gospel in Armenia, Albania, 
India, and Arabia Felix. Some say he was flogged and nailed to a 
cross ; others that he was flayed alive and beheaded in interior India, 
by the order of King Astyages. His death is supposed to have 
taken place a.d. 73. 

8. St. Simon Zelotes, or the Canaanean, according to some, 
preached the Gospel in Mesopotamia; according to some, in Egypt ; 
according to some, in Africa and Britain ; and according to others, 
in Persia, where he died and was buried a.d. 64. 

9. ^t. Philip preached the Gospel in Phrygia, and died at Heiro- 
polis, in A.D. 54. He had two daughters with him, .who con- 
tinued virgins to their old age'; and another, a prophetess, who 
died at Ephesus. He was nailed to a cross while preaching to the 
people; and, being stoned to death, was crowned with a glorious 
martyrdom. 

10. St. Tho?nas preached to the Parthians, Medes, Indians, and 
other nations. St. Thomas is said to have baptized the three Magis 
who came to adore Christ at Bethlehem, and to have taken them as 
companions in his apostleship. He was transfixed with a spear at 
Calamina (Malipur), in India, a.d. 75. 

11. St. Matthias, who was elected to fill the place of the traitor, 
Judas Iscariot, preached the Gospel in Judea and then in Ethiopia. 
He converted very many to the faith, and made his life a continual 
martyrdom. Some say he was crucified ; others that he was stoned 
and smitten with an axe. His death is set down a.d. 66, 

QUESTIONS. 

Repeat the mnemonic verse for the twelve apostles ? What is known of 
the apostle St. James the Greater? Of St. James the Less? Of St. John? 
Of St. Jude? Of St. Andrew? Of St. Matthew? Of St. Bartholomew? 
Of Simon Zelotes? Of Philip? Of Thomas? Of Matthias? Give the 
dates at which the apostles died? What apostles died without the violence 
of a martyr's death ? 



SECTION VII. 



BIBLE EPISODES.— THE PROPHETS OF THE BIBLE.— THE 
■WRITERS OF THE HAGIOGRAPH A. — CHRONOLOGICAL 
TABLES.— GLOSSA RY. 



CHAPTER LI. 



JOB, RUTH, TOBIAS, JUDITH, ESTHER. B.C. 1340-50O. 

HERE is no doubt that Job belonged 
10 the patriarchal ages. The time of 
his existence is commonly set down 
about the fourteenth century before 
Christ. There is no mention of pro- 
phets or ceremonials in the Book of 
Job, nor do we find any allusion to the 
Mosaic dispensation. Yet Job had a 
knowledge of sacrifices, and of the true 
religion according to the natural order. 
He is described as simple and inno- 
cent, and fearing God, and avoiding evil. Job possessed 
great wealth and power. 

2. The Book of Job, as well as his history, may be divided 
in four parts : the introduction, the trial, the declaration of 
the Almighty, and the conclusion. In the introduction it is 
stated how Satan obtained power to test the virtue and 
patience of Job; and how the property, the camels, the 
the houses, the wealth, and the children of Job had been 
destroyed. Job rent his garments, and said : " Naked I came into 




n^ 



oxen. 



Job, RmIIi, Tobias^ Judith^ Esther. 441 

the world, and naked I shall depart." Satan then touched the bone 
and the flesh of Job, and smote him with ulcers from head to foot, 
so that Job sat on a dunghill, and scraped away the corrupt matter 
with a potsherd. His wife said to him : Bless God and die. He 
answered : If we have received good things at the hand of God, 
why should we not receive evil. The trial opens with the arrival 
of his three friends, Eliphaz, Baldad, and Sophar. There also 
arrived later another named Eliu. Seven days and seven nights 
after they had bewailed at the sight of Job did they sit without 
uttering a word. Then Job, lamenting the miseries of man's life, 
cursed the day of his birth, and a long disputation followed on the 
providence of God, the innocence of man, the manper in which 
rewards and punishments are measured out in this world. After 
long and irritable argumentation, the conduct of Job, who main- 
tained his own innocence and inward uprightness, is approved by 
God. Then follows the conclusion, in which the days of Job are 
prolonged, bis wealth grows greater than at first, his children are 
multiplied, and the latter days of Job are better than his former 
happy life. 

3. It is uncertain who was the author of the Book of Job. Job 
himself, Moses, and an Idumean prophet are mentioned. It was 
either written in Hebrew, or, being written in Arabic, was translated 
into Hebrew about the days of David. It is probably a genuine 
history, but is susceptible of the sublimest allegorical interpretations, 
and teems with the wildest and noblest poetical effusions. Job 
himself, in his words and acts, is a magnificent antetype of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. The date assigned to the Book of Job is 
B.C. 1340. 

4. Ruth lived, according to Josephus, in the days of Judge Eli- 
melech of Bethlehem. Juda, with his wife Noemi, and two sons, 
Mahalon and Chelion, went into Moab on account of a famine. 
On the death of Elimelech, the sons of Noemi married Orpha and 
Ruth. Then died the sons of Noemi, and there were left She and 
her two daughters-in-law. Noemi rose up to return to her own 
country, and recommended her daughters-in-law to remain and 



iiiiit 







.c. 1340-500 



Job^ Ruth, Tobias, Judith, Esther. 443 



marry again in their own nation. Orplia remained, but Ruth stuck 
close to her mother-in-law. Ruth went to glean in the field of 
Booz, Elimelech's kinsman, and was favorably received. By fol- 
lowing the aidvice of Noemi, Ruth became the wife of Booz, of 
whom was Obed, of whom was Isai, of w^hom was David, of whom 
was Jesus Christ. Ruth is an example of docility, affection, and 
chastity, as well as a figure of the Gentile church founded by Jesus 
Christ. The Book of Ruth was written by the prophet Samuel 
B.C. 1053. 

5. Tobias, of the tribe and city of Nephtali, was taken captive by 
Salmanasar after the overthrow of Samaria, and led into Ninive. 
There he received favor in the sight of Salmanasar, and obtained 
liberty to go whither he would. He came to Rages, a city of the 
Medes, and lent ten talents to Gabelus, one of his kindred in need, 
taking in its stead a note. From his early youth Tobias was a 
close observer of the Law, and in his exile spent his time in good 
works, clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, and especially in 
burying the dead. 

6. Now, it came to pass that Tobias became poor and lost his 
sight, so that he determined to send his son, the young Tobias, for 
the ten talents which he had lent to Gabelus. In his affliction, he 
prayed in tears to God. On the same same day prayed in the city 
of Rages Sara, whose seven husbands the devil Asmoneus had 
killed. 

7. The angel Raphael became a guide to the younger Tobias. 
They were attacked at the Tigris by a fish whose liver and gall 
Tobias preserved. With the liver he drove away Asmoneus from 
Sara, and took her to wife. Meantime, the angel had collected 
the ten talents of Gabelus, and they returned with Sara and great 
wealth to the elder Tobias. With the gall the younger Tobias 
restored sight to his father. Then Raphael manifested himself to 
those present, and, commending the faith, fortitude, and piety of the 
whole family, disappeared. The elder Tobias lived to one hundred 
and two years, and the younger to ninety-nine. Tobias is a type of 
the Church in her afflictions. 




.8 S 
S Si 






^ § 






A.C. 1340-500 



Job^ Ruth, Tobias, Judith^ Esther. 445 



8. The Book of Tobias was written by the elder and younger 
Tobias in the Hebrew language. It is a very valuable portrai- 
ture of Jewish customs, aspirations, and modes of life in the 
times of the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities. It was written 
B.C. 620. 

9. Judith was the widow of Manasses, of the tribe of Simeon, a 
woman of exquisite beauty, supereminent sanctity, and superhuman 
heroism. She delivered Bethulia from the army of Holofernes, the 
general of Nabuchodonosor, King of Ninive, and conqueror of 
many nations. Holofernes came with a mighty army to subdue all 
the countries as far as the Great Sea to the sceptre of the Assyrian 
monarch. Bethulia was straitened and encompassed on all sides, 
and its aqueduct cut off. While the priests and people groaned in 
the depths of despair and distress, Judith entered the camp of the 
enemy, and cut off the head of Holofernes, which she carried into 
Bethulia. Then the army of the Assyrians was routed, and Bethulia 
was set free. The Book of Judith was written in Chaldaic by the 
high-priest Eliachim, a.c. 614. 

10. Esther, or Edissa, saved the Jewish people from being exter- 
minated by Aman, the most powerful prince of King Assuerus. 
Aman, considering himself slighted by Mardochai, a Jew, and 
deeming it unworthy of himself to seek vengeance on an individual, 
procured a decree to destroy the name and nation of the Hebrews. 
Esther was raised in the meantime by Assuerus, on account of her 
beauty, to the rank and position of Queen Vasthi, who had been 
repudiated for disobedience. She reversed the decree of Assuerus, 
caused Aman to be hanged on the scaffold fifty cubits high which 
he had prepared for Mardochai, and raised the Jewish nation to a 
proud and independent position in the Persian Empire. Jews cele- 
brate to this day their deliverance in the Feast of the Phurim, that 
is, the Feast of Lots. Some ascribe the Book of Esther to Esdras, 
some to Eliachim, and others to Mardochai. It was written in 
Hebrew about a.c. 500. 

11. Judith was a figure of the Immaculate Virgin, who has cut 
off the head of Satan by giving birth to Christ; and Esther is a 



44^ The Prophets of the Bible. \ a.c. 694-A.D. 98 

type of the Church, which frees from danger, and overcomes Satan, 
the Aman of all Christians. 

QUESTIONS. 

When did Job live, and what was his character? State the contents of the 
Book of Job? Who was its author? What do you know about Ruth and 
the Book of Ruth ? What about Tobias and the Book of Tobias ? What 
about Judith and the Book of Judith ? What about Esther and the Book of 
Esther? What was typified by Judith? What by Esther? 




CHAPTER LII. 

THE PROPHETS OF THE BIBLE. A.C. 694-A.D. 98. 

HE ministry of all the prophets was subsidiary to the 
mission of Christ, for all the prophets from Moses to 
Malachias have spoken of the Messias. The Apoca- 
lypse of St. John, the prophet of the New Law, was 
seemingly written to show the second coming of the Messias. Some- 
times prophetic knowledge was divinely and directly infused into the 
mind of the prophet; sometimes it was seen with the aid of the 
imagination in physical images; sometimes it was remotely and 
obscurely shadowed in tropes, similes, maxims, parables, and allego- 
ries. The Messias and His kingdom were manifested through a long 
series of centuries to the prophets of Juda and Israel. In the Book 
of Psalms, the death, resurrection, crucifixion, casting of lots for the 
garments of the Messias, are foretold ; also His divinity, eternal 
generation, kingly dignity; likewise the indefectibility, universality, 
and unmistakable prominence and glory of His kingdom. These 
appear with more detail in the prophets, and with clearer light as 
they approach nearer the advent of the Messias. The offices of 
Moses, Aaron, Josue, Jephte, 'David, Melchisedech, Jonas, and 
Zorobabel foreshadowed the ministry of the Messias. Adam, Noe, 
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Job were types of the Messias. The 
sacrifices of the atonement, the burnt-offering, the brazen serpent, the 



A.c. 694-A.D. 98 [ The Prophets of the Bible. 447 

first-fruits, the manna, the sprinkHng of blood and water, the lamb, 
the passover, the scape-goat, the tabernacle, the temple, had figu- 
rative references to the mission of the Messias. 

2. The books of the prophets in the Old Testament are sixteen. 
The writers of four of these are called major prophets, the writers of 
the remaining twelv^e minor prophets. The following lines may 
serve as a mnemonic : 

Isaias, Jeremy, and Baruch, 
Ezechiel and Daniel's book : 
Let these the major prophets be. 
See three— Osee, Aggeus, Habacuc— 
And Joel. Amos, Nahum, other three ; 
Abdiah, Michah, Jonas with ill-luck, 
Zachary, Sophony, and Malachy — 
These the twelve minor prophets be. 

The major prophets are also called the evangelist prophets, because 
their prophecies are so clear and indisputable that they seem to be 
historians rather than prophets. As the dove typifies St. Matthew, 
the lion St. Mark, the ox St. Luke, and the eagle St. John, so the 
four cherubim in Ezechiel's vision represent the major prophets. 
The lion suits Isaias, the ox Jeremias, the man Ezechiel, and the 
eagle Daniel. 

3. Isaias was the son of Amos, who is ptated by the Jews to have 
been a prophet and the brother of King Amasias. Isaias prophesied 
during the reigns of Ozias, Joathan, Achaz, and Ezechias. It is the 
tradition of the Jews that he was sawed asunder while alive by the 
wicked King Manasses. Isaias excels all the prophets in the poetic 
beauty of his imagery, in the blinding terror of his denunciations, 
and in the exquisite and enrapturing pathos of his solace and sym- 
pathy. Isaias is the poetic angel of the Old Testament, the Homer 
of the Hebrew nation, and the morning star of the evangelists. He 
seems to gaze on the Messias as he is born, to hear the voice of the 
Baptist, to behold the mysterious Virgin, to feel the sufferings of the 
Saviour, and to grow angry over the blindness of the multitudes that 
were to murder Christ. Before his vision rises the Emmanuel as an 
orb illumining the whole world, from whose face the sorrows, and 



44^ The Prophets of the Bible. -j a.c, 694-A.D. 98 

vices, and ignorance of mankind melt away as the mists of morn- 
ing. The date of his works is set down at a.c. 694. 

4. Jeremias^ the son of Helcias, a priest of Anathoth, was sanctified 
and called in his mother's womb. Endowed by God with power to 
build up and pull down, to plant and to root out, he began to pro- 
phesy in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josias, and continued 
through the reigns of Joachaz, Joakin, Jechonias, and Sedecias. 
He not only foretold the Babylonian captivity, but saw it in his own 
day. The tribes of Israel had been wiped out by Salmanasar, and 
the inheritance of Jacob inhabited by a stranger ; and though the 
cloud of desolation was pointed out by Jeremias dark and dreadful 
over Jerusalem and Juda, the eyes of the Hebrews were blind to see, 
and their ears deaf to hear, and their minds dull to understand. And 
when the dreadful day of destruction was over, Jeremias sat upon 
the ruins of Jerusalem, and poured forth those wonderful lamenta- 
tions that have sunk into the heart of races, and have been the wail 
of all ages, and have made humanity shed tears. Jeremias is the 
poet of melancholy and lamentation, the Cassandra of the Jewish 
people, the precursor of the angel that shall fly through the heavens 
at the end of the world, and cry : Woe ! woe ! woe ! He was 
stoned by some exile Jews in Egypt, and was buried at Taphnae. 
His works are dated a.c. 582. 

5. Ezechiel was the son of Buzi, and was taken a captive to Baby- 
lon some years before the destruction of the temple. He received 
his call as a prophet by the river Chobar, in Chaldee, and continued 
to console the Jews in exile. While Jeremias prophesied in Juda, it 
is probable that he and Ezechiel interchanged prophecies for mutual 
consolation. He was murdered by a Jewish prince, and was buried 
in the cave of Shem and Arphaxad in the twenty-second year of his 
ministry. There was nothing of the elegiac tenderness characteristic 
of Jeremias in the spirit of Ezechiel. He was bold, vigorous, and 
unflinching in his character, unbending in consistency, and unsparing 
in his language. His visions are surprisingly subHme and incom- 
prehensible, his predictions marvellously varied, and his book has 
been called an ocean of mysteries. The Jews never read the first 



A.c. 694-A.n. 98 [ The Prophets of the Bible, 449 

chapter of his book till they were thirty years old. He is tne most 
lofty and wonderful of the prophets, and shrouds his visions in the 
most obscure and impenetrable imagery. The matter of his prophe- 
cies comprises his call and commission, the rejection, sins, judgment, 
and punishment of his people, the chastisement of surrounding 
nations, the resurrection and glory of Juda in the future. He is 
believed to be the author of the epistle which passes under the name 
of Baruch. The date of his writings is a.c. 570. 

6. Daniel was taken captive to Babylon in the third year of Joakim, 
and was trained with three youths for the service of the king. Un- 
wiUing to be defiled with meat from the king's table, he faithfully 
adhered to the laws and rites of his fathers. To reward his faithful- 
ness, God gave him learning, and knowledge, and the faculty of in- 
terpreting dreams. He was set over all the princes and wise men 
of Babylon by Nabuchodonosor, when he interpreted the celebrated 
dream on the succession of empires. He also interpreted the dream 
about the tree to signify the judgment of God against Nabuchodo- 
nosor. The handwriting on the wall at the feast of Baltassar's 
banquet. The three companions of Daniel, Ananias, Misael, 
and Azarias, were thrown into a fiery furnace because they would 
not adore a golden idol of Nabuchodonosor, but were taken out un- 
injured. Daniel Avas thrown into a den of lions twice: once for the 
space of seven days, during which he was fed miraculously by the 
prophet Habacuc when he destroyed the god Bel ; and again for 
one day, when he prayed, turning his face to Jerusalem, against the 
decree of King Darius. The first part of the Book of Daniel is his- 
torical, the remaining part apocalyptic. His revelations on the time 
of the Messias' advent, on the Messianic kingdom, and on the gen- 
eral judgment are among the most momentous in the Old Testa- 
ment. Daniel died at Babylon, and was buried in a cave. His 
work was written in Chaldaic a.c. 536. 

7. Of the minor prophets, Osee, Joel, Amos, Abdias, Jonas, 
Micheas, Nahum, Habacuc, and Sophonias lived before the Babylo- 
nian captivity. Osee is the oldest of the prophetic writers, and 
prophesied during the reigns of Ozias, Joathan, Achaz, and Ezechias, 










-^S 



A.c. 694 -A.D. 98 [ The Prophets of the Bible. 45 1 

kings of Juda, and in the reign of Jeroboam, the son of Joas, king 
of Israel. He foretold the Assyrian captivity, and witnessed its ful- 
filment. He reproved with great energy the sons of Jerusalem and 
Juda. There are prophecies in Osee on Christ and the Church, on 
Christ's advent, on Christ's resurrection on the third day, and on his 
flight into Egypt. Osee was of the tribe of Issachar. His book is 
dated a.c. 805. Joel was the son of Phatuel and a contemporary of 
Osee. He foretold the coming of four plagues on Jerusalem and 
Juda, the destruction of the world, and the last judgment; he ex- 
horted the priests and people to do penance, and was the author of 
prophecies on Christ and the manner of the last judgment. Amos, 
of the tribe of Juda, from the town of Tekoah, was originally a shep- 
herd and dresser of sycamores. He travelled from Tekoah near 
Bethlehem to Ephraim, and there began to preach. The Book of Amos 
declares punishments against nations bordering on Juda and Israel, 
describes the condition of the latter kingdoms, predicts the over- 
throw of Israel, and, rising to a high and holy strain, speaks of the 
Israel of the last days which is to last for ever — the Church of Christ. 
His book was written about a.c. 800. Abdias has written the 
shortest of all the prophecies. He lived in the days of Osee, and 
Joel, and Amos, and prophesied against Edom. He also treats of 
the Messias and the church. His tribe and place of birth are un- 
known. His prophecy is set down by some at a.c. 742. Jonas, 
the son of Amathi, of the tribe of Zabulon, was born in Geth-Opher 
about the time of Amos and Abdias. He foretold that Jeroboam, the 
son of Joas, king of Israel, would conquer the Syrians. He was 
sent by God to Ninive, but fled away to sea. A tempest arose, and, 
when he was found to be the cause, by the casting of lots, the sailors 
threw him overboard. He was swallowed by a great fish, and after 
three days cast on dry land. He returned and preached to the 
Ninevites. They did penance, and their city was spared. Micheas 
is one of the most celebrated minor prophets. He foretold that the 
Messias would be born in Bethlehem of Juda. He has left many 
splendid oracles on the Messias and his kingdom. His style is lofty 
and animated. He was born in Morasthi, a small town near Elea- 



filJ^'iB (H'' )'fJ'"f^"'Ti''' 




8 <>. 



•1^ 






r^^ 



•S '^ 



A.C. 694-A.D. 98 } The Prophets of the Bible. 453 

teropolis in Palestine. He prophesied in the reigns of Joathan, 
Achaz, and Ezechias, and must not be mistaken for Micheas, the 
son of Jemla, who Hved under Achab and Josaphat. Nahum was 
born in Elcesai of GaUlee, and forecold the destruction of Ninive 
after the deportation of the ten tribes of Israeh Some of his utter- 
ances may be figuratively applied to the Church. The Book of 
Nahum was written a.c. 720, Habacuc, of the tribe of Levi, fore- 
told the impending overthrow of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans. It 
was he who was carried by an angel to feed Daniel in the lion's 
den. He has left a few sublime prophecies on the Messias. His 
book is dated a.c. 610. Sophonias, the son of Chusi, began his minis- 
try in the reign of Josias, king of Juda. He denounced Juda for 
her sins, declared judgment against the Moabites and Ammonites, 
the Ethiopians and Assyrians, and pronounced a woe on Jerusalem. 
He prophesies in a splendid manner of Christ and his Church. 
His prophecies were calculated to inspire terror and were written 
A.c. 608, 

8. After the Babylonian captivity, there were three prophets, 
Aggeus, Zacharias, and Malachias. Aggeus was sent to console the 
Jewish people during the rebuilding of the temple. He foretold 
that the second temple would see its Lord, the Messias, and its glory 
would be greater than that of the first. His book is supposed to 
have been written a.c. 520. Zacharias was also sent to comfort the 
Jews during the rebuilding of the temple. He addressed especially 
Jesus and Zorobabel, the leaders of the people. He prophesied of 
the four great empires of old, under the last of which the Messias 
was to be born. There are several luminous prophecies in the Book 
of Zacharias concerning Christ and the Messianic kingdom. His 
prophecies were written about a.c. 620. The last in tfie line of the 
prophets is Malachy. His prophecies are especially clear on the 
Messias. He foretells the unbloody sacrifice from the rising to the 
setting sun, the speedy advent of the Messias, and encourages the 
Jews to observe the Law, and await the glorious times close at hand. 
His book was written a.c. 415. 

9. In the New Testament, there is out one prophetical book, the 



454 The PropJiets of the Bible. ■{ a.c 694-A.D. 98 

Apocalypse of St. John. It was written after his banishment from 
Rome, in the island of Patmos, in the year a.d. 98. The prophecies 
of the Old Testament were mainly written to foreshadow the first 
coming of the Messias, which was in the lowly garb of incarnate 
Godhead; but the Revelation of St. John has been left to show 
forth the majesty of Christ's glorious and triumphant humanity in 
His second advent. Holy and heavenly in its precepts, solemn and 
celestial in its illustrations, hidden and unsearchable in its mysteries, 
the Apocalypse will be an unsealed and uninterpreted book to the 
end of time. First come the injunctions to the seven churches, next 
the seven seals, next the seven trumpets, and, interwoven with the 
trumpets, the woes. After the woes follows a series of apocalyptic 
visions — the woman clothed with the sun, St. John by the sea-shore 
beholding the seven heads and ten horns of the rising dragon, St. 
John gazing on the twelvescore thousand saints standing on Mount 
Sion, St. John viewing the seven angels with the seven vials of 
wrath, St. John carried by one of the seven into the wilderness, the 
saints in heaven rejoicing in the glory of the Lamb, the thousand 
years of the millennium, the camp of Satan consumed by fire from 
heaven and hurled into the burning lake, the last judgment, the new 
heaven, the new earth, and the new and unending life of glory in 
the new Jerusalem. Such is the last book of the Revelation of God 
to the human race. If any man shall add, take away, or change 
one iota thereof, the woes of Revelation shall be his part ; if any 
man shall observe the commandment sand believe in the truths 
thereof, the eternal joys of Revelation shall be his inalienable 
inheritance and possession. 

QUESTIONS. 

What is the object of prophecy? How was Christ foretold? Give the 
mnemonic lines for the major and minor prophets. How are the major 
prophets contradistinguished ? What do you know of Isaias, his writings, 
st)-le, and character ? Of Jeremias? Of Ezechiel ? Of Daniel? Who were 
the ante-Babylonian minor prophets? What do you know of Osee? Of 
Joel? Of Amos? OfAbdias? Of Jonas? Of Micheas ? Of Nahum ? Of 
Habacuc? Of Sophonias? Who were the post-Babylonian minor pro- 



The Hagiographa. 455 

phets? What do you know of Aggeus? Of Zacharias ? Of Malachias? 
Which is the prophetic book of the New Testament ? What is its nature and 
character? Give an idea of the matter therein contained? 



CHAPTER LIII. 

THE HAGIOGRAPHA. 




ESIDES the historical books of the Bible, and those of 
the prophets, there is another class of Scriptural writings 
known as the Hagiographa, or Sacred Writings. They 
treat of truth and morals, and of the hidi refinement, 
tender joys, and delicate emotions in spiritual life. Of this class are 
the writings of David, Solomon, and Siracides in the Old Testament, 
and in the New the Epistles of St. Paul, St. John, St. Peter, St. 
James, and St. Jude. 

2. First in order is the Book of Psalms. It is uncertain whether 
all the Psalms, one hundred and fifty in number, were written by 
David, but it is certain that he was the author of the greater part. 
The Psalms participated at once of the nature of songs, prayers, 
instructions, and praises. The Psalms are marked with superscrip- 
tions or subscriptions, which generally point out the author, the 
occasion, or the manner of performance. They were divided by the 
Jews into five books. They were written according to metrical laws, 
though these laws cannot now be very accurately ascertained. They 
were the hymn-book of the Jewish temple, and have been always in 
use in Christian churches. The glory of the Most High, the lowli- 
ness of man, the duties of Hfe, the beauty of holiness, the joys of 
sanctity, are most frequently sung in the Psalms. Though all the 
excellences celebrated in the Psalms are impersonated in the 
Messias, there are four purely Messianic. These are the second, the 
forty-fifth, the seventy-second, and the one hundred and tenth. The 
Psalms are the grandest collection of instructive, prayerful poesy 
possessed by the human race. 



45 6 The Hagiographa. 

3. Of Solomon's books there are extant Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, 
the Canticle of Canticles, and Wisdom. The Book of Proverbs was 
written that men might know wisdom and instruction, and under- 
stand the words of prudence ; that little ones might receive subtlety, 
and that young men might have knowledge and understanding. It 
is not a selection of wise sayings from many writers, but was written 
by Solomon under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Ecclesiastes 
represents Solomon as a preacher. He shows the vanity of all things 
except what leads to eternal happiness. In the Canticle of Canticles, 
the holy and divine love of Christ for the Church is symbolized by 
the love of Solomon for Abisag, the daughter of Pharao. It refers, 
in an especial manner, to the Immaculate Virgin, who is the flower 
of the field, and the lily of the valleys. The Wisdom of Solomon 
declares the manifold benefits to be gained in the paths of wisdom, 
and the punishments and sorrows awaiting them that stray from her 
ways. It is an inspired outpouring of the wisdom which God infused 
into the mind of Solomon. 

4. Ecclesiasticus was written by Jesus, the son of Sirach. The 
language in which it was originally composed was Hebrew, but our 
present translations follow the Septuagint, and there are only a few 
fragments of the original extant. Its substance is much the same 
as that of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Wisdom. Some assign the 
date of the book to the time of Simon the Just, B.C. 310-290, and 
others to the time of Simon the Second, B.C. 217. 

5. There are fourteen epistles of St. Paul in the Bible. They are 
not set down in the order of time, that to the Romans being set 
down first on account of the. importance of its matter and the pre- 
eminence of the place to which it is addressed. It was written at 
Cenchre the port of Corinth, a.d. 57, and sent by Phebe, a dea- 
coness. The object of the episde is to put an end to a quarrel 
between the Hebrew and Gentile converts. It shows that the Jews 
are not saved by the merit which is in the works of the Law, nor the 
Gentiles by faith ; but that all need the grace of Jesus Christ. The 
First Epistle to the Corinthians was written at Ephesus a.d. 57, to 
rebuke them for crimes committed in the church of Corinth, and to 



The Hagiographa. 457 

remove doubts about points of faith. The doctrine of the resurrec- 
tion, wliich some Corinthian Christians doubted, is very fully explained. 
The Second Epistle to the Corinthians was written in the follownig 
year from Philippi, in Macedonia, to vindicate the ministry of St. Paul 
against pseudo-apostles. The Epistle to the Ephesians was written 
from Rome about the year a.d. 62, when he was in chains. He 
states the doctrine of justification, the calling of the Gentiles, predes- 
tination, the organism of Christ's tody, which is the church, and 
inculcates a number of moral precepts. The Epistle to the Philip- 
pians was written in the same year, and while he was yet in chains 
at Rome. It was given in answer to some aid sent him from Phi- 
lippi, in which he exhorts them to grow in all virtues, and beware of 
false, apostles, who are the enemies of the cross of Christ. The 
Epistle to the Colossians was written from prison at Rome the same 
year. Its purport was to guard the church of the Colossians against 
those who tauglit that we have access to (lod through angels and 
not through the Son of God, as well as against the pride of philosophy 
and the superstitions of the Jews. He teaches that the Son of God 
is the image of the invisible God and the first-born of every crea- 
ture, in whom all things were made, and cautions them against all 
vanity which is according to the traditions of men and not accord- 
ing to Christ. The First Epistle to the Thessalonians was written at 
Corinth a.d. 32. It is a moral exhortation to the church of Thessa- 
lonica to advance in virtue, and be always prepared for the day of 
judgment, the time of which is unknown. The Second Epistle to the 
Thessalonians was written in the same year and place. The apos- 
tle's intention is to remove the fear caused by the announcement in 
his former letter tliat the day of judgment was at hand. He men- 
tions the signs which shall precede its coming. The First Epistle to 
Timothy was written at Philippi a.d. 66; the Second at Rome a.d. 
69, during his second imprisonment, a little before his martyrdom. 
The Epistle to Titus was written at Philippi a.d. 66. The last three 
epistles contain instructions en morals, and are in an especial manner 
directed to bishops and priests. The Epistle to Philemon, a Colos- 
sian Chri^itian, was v.'ritten during his first imprisonment in Rome, 



45 S T^^^ Hagiographa. 

A.D. 62, and recommends the fugitive slave Onesimu«s to mercy and 
benevolence. The Epistle to the Hebrews was written about the 
same time. It shows the divinity of Christ, and explains the excel- 
lence of His rank, priesthood, and office over the Levitical order. 
He exhorts the Hebrews to hospitaHty, by which their forefathers had 
been worthy to receive angels. 

6. The epistle written by St. James, the brother of our Lord, and 
Bishop of Jerusalem, recommends humility and modesty to Chris- 
tians, shows that faith without works is dead, and promulgates the 
sacrament of confirmation. The First Epistle of St. Peter was written 
at Rome about fifteen years after the death of Christ, and states the 
duties of life to Christians. It was directed to the strangers-elect 
■of the Asiatic provinces. The Second Epistle of St. Peter was written 
in the last year of his life, and exhorts the faithful to stand firm and 
avoid the teachers of error. The First Epistle of St. John was written 
to the Parthians, among whom were many children of the Disper- 
sion. He states distinctly the doctrine of the Trinity, the Divinity 
of Christ, and the Incarnation. Throughout he continually preaches 
the doctrine of love. The Second and Third Epistles of St. John, 
addressed to the lady Electa and to Caius, teach the doctrine of 
love, and contain useful advice for those in danger of perversion. 
The Epistle of St. Jude was written after the death of all the apostles 
except St. John, and was directed against the Simoniani and Nico- 
laitae, whom he calls clouds without water, trees of autumn, raging 
waves of the sea, wandering stars. 

7. Among the writers of the Hagiographa, St. Paul deserves a 
special notice. His style is like a mountain torrent— now rapid and 
rushing, now^ winding and struggling, now calm, clear, and magnifi- 
cent. Is there cogency in questioning? Read St. Paul. Is there 
pleasure in manly and unbroken boldness of assertion ? Behold St. 
Paul. Is there beauty in amplification? Oh! the magnificence of 
the writings of St. Paul ! And there breathes his fiery and inborn 
energy; and there shines his dauntless and unbaffled courage ; and 
there burns the consuming efficacy of his words. St. Paul is the 
.trumpet of the Holy Ghost, whose sounds re-echo within the souls 



The Hagiogvapha, 459 

of men. Is there a sorrow of the human soul the outpouring of his 
spirit has not touched hke the wild music of the ^olian harp ? Is 
there a noble instinct in the heart of man the magnetism of his exam- 
ple has not awakened into life ? Is there a joy in the human soul 
or a light in the human intellect that has not been intensified and 
turned into glory by the depth of his sympathy and the brilliancy 
of his spirit? His heaven-illumined intellect is not bounded in its 
flight either by the confines of earth, or the dayless, interminable 
wastes of hell, or the empyrean empires of hosts of cherubs, or the 
vast oceans of the past tiding high to the present, or the distant 
horizon of the future opening out into eternity. Him the Lord 
hath made a spectacle to angels and to men. To him hath been 
given the dispensation of the mystery which was hidden from 
eternity; on him hath shone the illumination of the face of Jesus 
Christ; by him hath been made the manifestation of the 
manifold wisdom of God unto the powers and principalities 
in the high places of heaven. Who among those whom the 
Holy Spirit hath moved to write for the human race is like 
to thee, O Paul ? We may stand with Moses, and behold in 
spirit the outcoming of light from darkness, of order from chaos ; we 
may weep with Jeremias as he mourns over the desolation of Jeru- 
salem ; we may sit by Job, and listen to his wild and almost 
blasphemous wail of woe ; we may hearken with delight to the 
rhapsodies of the prophet-king ; we may lift up our eyes with 
wonder at the undefined glories and terrors in the visions of Isaias 
and Ezecbiel ; but can we behold with St. Paul the Brightness of 
the Father's glory and the Figure of the Father's substance uphold- 
ing all things by the word of His power? Can we go down with 
St. Paul to the depths of the ocean ? Can we die with him in his 
deaths, and yet live ? Can we wish to be an anathema from Christ 
for the redemption of our race? Can we with him give knowledge 
to the angels in the high places ? Can we ascend with him to the 
third heavens, and hear the secret things which no man can speak ? 
Hail ! then, O Paul, brighter than Moses in the light of a new crea- 
etion, mor sorrowful than Jeremias in thy desolation, more afflicted 



460 The Hagiographa. 

than Job in thy deaths, more magnificent than David in thy praises, 
greater than Isaias and Ezechiel in the magnitude of thy revelations. 
Hail! prophet, doctor, martyr, and apostle of Jesus Christ. Above 
thee there is but Peter, to whom Christ gave the keys of the king- 
dom of heaven, and John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, and who 
beheld in the soft light of love the Word in the beginning inhabiting 
eternity in the bosom of the Father. To Jesus Christ, the invisible 
King of Ages; to Mary, the Mother of Jesus; to John, the beloved 
disciple of Jesus ; to Peter and Paul, the princes of the apostles of 
Jesus, be honor, praise, and benediction through ages of ages ! 
Amen. 

QUESTIONS. 

What is meant by the Hagiographa ? What do 3'ou know of the Book of 
Psalms? Of Solomon's works? What of the Book of Siracides? How 
many epistles of St. Paul are there ? Give the date and name the place 
where each was written? Give the substance of each epistle? What do 
you know of the Epistle of St. James? Of the two Epistles of St. Peter? Of 
the three Epistles of St. John? Of the Epistle of St. Jude? Give an idea 
of the apostle St. Paul among the inspired writers? 



FIRST SERIES-CHRONOLOGICAL TABLES. 



TABLE I. FROM THE CREATION TO THE JUDGES. 



The creation and fall of man, 

Abel is slain by Cain 

Seth is born, 

Enos is born 

The descendants of Seth and Enos, for 
their piety, are called the sons of 
God. Gen. vi. 2. 

Henoch, tlie seventh from Adam, is 
born, 

Adam dieth 

Henoch is translated into Paradise, . 

Noe, the tenth from Adam, is born, . 

The sons of God are corrupted by 
marr3-ing beautitul women of the 
race of Cain. 

The Deluge, 

The building of the Tower of Babel. 
and the confusion of tongues. . 

Nimrod layeth the foundation of the 
kingdom of Babylon. Gen. x. 10 

Noe dieth at the age of 950, 

Abraham is bom, 

Abraham is called by God into Ca- 
naan, . . . ' . 

The four kings are routed by Abraham, 

The blessing and sacrifice of Melchi- 
sedech. 

The destruction of Sodom and Go- 
morrha, 

Isaac is born, 

Abraham is sent to offer Isaac in sac- 
rifice 

Jacob and Elsau are born, . 

Jacob's flight in.o Mesopotamia, 

Joseph, the e'eventh son of Jacob, is 
bom, 

Jacob retumeth into Canaan, 

Joseph is sold into Egypt, . 

Joseph is ra.ide governor of Egypt, , 

Jacob with all his family goeth down 
into Ej^ypt. 

The Israelites are multiplied exceed- 
ingly 



I j They are persecuted and oppressed 

129 I by the Egyptians, . . . . 

130 I Moses is born, 

235 j Moses'sflight into Madian, 

i His vision at the bush, and his mission 
! into Eg}-pt to deliver the children 

■ of Israel, 

! The ten plagues of Eg\-pt. 
622 ! The passage through the Red Sea, 
930 I where Pharao and all his army are 

987 I drowned 

1056 I Manna is given from heaven for forty 
I years. 

1 The law is given from Mount Sinai. 
i The ark and tabernacle are made, 
1656 Aaron is consecrated high-priest. 

The spies are sent to view the land. 
1800 ' The people murmur, and are sentenc 
ed to die in the wilderness. 
I The sedition of Core, Dathan. and Ab- 
2cxd6 i iron, who are swallowed up by the 
2oo3 earth. 

350 pretenders to the priesthood are 
2083 I consumed by fire. 
2091 j The rod of Aaron blossometh. 

Water is given (the second time) from 

the rock 

The brazen serpent is set up. 

2107 Sehon and Og are defeated and slain. 

2108 Balaam is called to curse the people. 

He blesses them thrice. 

2145 The slaughter of the Madianites. 

216S Moses dieth, and Josue succeeds him. 

2245 The people pass over the Jordan dry- 
shod. • 

2259 The walls of Jericho fall down. 

2265 The five kings are defeated and slain. 

2276 The sun and moon stand still at the 

2289 command of Josue. 

The land of Canaan is conquered and 

2296 divided by lot among the children 
of Israel 

2400 Josue dieth, 



242; 

24.-J 

2473 



2559 

2569 



462 



Chronological Tables. 



TABLE II. ISRAEL UNDER THE JUDGES. 



The Israelites fall into idolatry, and 
are oppressed by the King of Meso- 
potamia, 2591 

Othoniel delivereth them, . . . 2599 

Aod delivereth them from the oppres- 
sion of the Moabites, . . . 2680 

Samgar defendeth them against the 
Philistines, 2682 

Debbora and Barac deliver them from 
the oppression of Jabin, King of 
Canaan, 2719 

Gedeon delivers them from the Ma- 
dianites, 2759 

Abimelech killeth his brethren, and 
after three years is slain, . . . 2771 

Tholaand Jair judge Israel. 



Jephte defendeth them against the 
Ammonites. His vow and sacrifice, 

Abesan, Ahialon, and Abdon judge 
Israel. 

Heli, the high-priest, is also judge, 

Samson is born, 

Samuel is born, and consecrated to God. 

Samson dieth after he had judged Is- 
rael twenty years, .... 

The ark is taken ; Heli, upon the news, 
falleth back and dieth, 

The Philistines are plagued on occa- 
sion of the ark ; they send it back. 

Samuel is judge ; he obtaineth by his 
prayers a victory over the Philis- 
tines, . 



2848 
2850 



2887 



2908 



TABLE III. THE HEBREWS UNDER KINGS. 



Saul is made king. The year is un- 
certain. 

David is born, 

David killeth Goliath, .... 
Saul is slain in battle, .... 
Isboseth is slain, and David is made 

king over all Israel, .... 

Solomon is born, 

The rebellion of Absalom, . 

David dieth, 

Solomon finisheth the temple, 

Solomon dieth, 

Roboam reigneth in Juda ; Jeroboam, 

over the rest of Israel. He setteth 

up the golden calves, 
Abia succeedeth Roboam ; he gaineth 

a glorious victory over Jeroboam, 
Asa succeedeth Abia, and reigneth 

prosperously, .... 
Nadab succeedeth Jeroboam, 
Jiaasa destroy eth all the family of Je 

roboam, 

Ela succeedeth Baasa, . 

Zamri extirpateth all the family of 

Baasa, , 

Amri is made king. 

Achab succeedeth his father Amri, 



2919 
2942 
2949 

2957 
2971 
2981 
2990 
3000 
3029 



3030 
3046 



3049 
3050 



3051 
3074 



3075 
3086 



Josaphat succeedeth his father Asa, 
and reigneth prosperously, 

Elias beginneth to prophesy, 

He raiseth a dead man to life. 

He bringeth down fire from heaven 
upon his sacrifice, and killeth the 
false prophets, 

Achab is slain, ... 

Ochozias, son of Achab, dieth, . 

Elias is taken up in a fiery chariot ; 
Eliseus inheriteth his spirit. 

Eliseus raiseth a dead chihl to life. 

Joram succeedeth Josaphat in the 
kingdom of Juda. He dieth mis- 
erably, 

Ochozias, son of Joram, King of Juda, 
and Joram, son of Achab, King of 
Israel, are both slain by Jehu, 

Jehu destroyed all the family of 
Achab and the worshippers of 
Baal. 

Athalia usurpeth the kingdom of Juda. 

Athalia is slain, and Joas, the son of 
Ochozias, is made king, 

Joachaz succeedeth Jehu in the king- 
dom of Israel, 

Joas succeedeth his father Joachaz, . 



3090 
3092 
3093 



3096 

3107 
^108 



3126 

3145 
3'65 



Chronological Tables, 



463 



TABLE III. — coiitiinied. 



Eliseus dieth ; a dead man is re- 
stored to life by tlie touch of his 
bones. 

Atnasias succeedeth his father Joas jn 
the king^iom of Juda, . . . 3165 

Jeroboam the Second succeedeth his 
father Joas in the kingdom of Is- 
rael, 3179 

In his time, the prophets Osee, Joel, 
Amos, Abdias, and Jonas execute 
their office. 

Ozias, alias Azarias, succeedeth his 
tather Amasias in the kingdom of 
Juda 3195 

Isaias beginneth to prophesy, . . 3220 

Zacharias, son of Jeroboam, reigneth 
in Israel ; he is slain by Solium, and 
Sellum by Mananem. . . . 3233 

Phaceia succeedeth his father Mana- 
hem. and is slain by Phacee, the 
son of Romelia, 3245 

Joatham succeedeth his father Ozias 
in the kingdom of Juda, . . 3246 

Micheas beginneth to prophesy under 
him. 

Achaz succeedeth his father Joa- 
tham, 3262 

Osee kille.h I'hacee, King of Israel, 
and reif:neth in his stead, . . . 3265 

Ezechias succeedeth his father Achaz 
in Juda, ...... 3277 

Salmanasar, King of the Assyrians, 
taketh Samaria, and carrieth away 
the Israelites captives, . . . 3283 

Tobias is carried to Ninive. 



Nahum publisheth his prophecy. 

Sennacherib invadeth Judea ; his army 
is destroyed by an angel, . . . 3291 

Ezechias is healed of a mortal illness. 
The sun goeth back ten degrees, . 3291 

Manasses succeedeth his father Eze- 
chias, and setteth up idolatry, . . 3306 

He falleth into the hands of the Assy- 
rians, and in his afHiction lurneth 
to God 3327 

The expedition of Holofernes, and the 
victory of Judith 3345 

Atnon succeedeth his father Ma- 
nasses, 3361 

Josias succeedeth Amon, ... . 3363 

Jeremias beginnet.i to prophesy, . 3375 

Sophonias and Baruch are his con- 
temporaries. 

Joachaz is made king instead of his 
father Josias, 3394 

Joakira is advanced to the throne in 
his place. 

Habacuc beginneth to prophesy, . 3:397 

Daniel is carried into captivity, . . 3398 

Joachin succeedeth his father Joakim, 
and after three months is carried 
into captivitv 3405 

Sedecias is made king in bis stead, . 3405 

Ezechiel beginneth to prophesy in Ba- 
bylonia, . . .... 3409 

Sedecias revolteth from Nabuchodo- 
nosor, who besiegeth Jerusalem, . 3414 

Jerusalem is taken and destroyed, 
the temple is burnt, and the people 
are carried away to Babylon, . . 3416 



TABLE IV. — THE HEBREWS IN CAPTIVITY. 



The three children are cast into the 
fiery furnace, 3417 

Daniel is cast into the lions' den, . 3444 

Babylon is taken by the Medes and 

Per'oians 3466 

Cyrus rclcaseth the Jews from their 
captivity, 3468 



Agireus and Zacharias prophesy, 
The temple is rebuilt, . . . . 
Esdras is sent by King Artaxerxes, . 
Nehemias rebuildeth the walls of Je- 
rusalem, 

Malachias prophesieth, 



A.M. 

3485 
3489 
3537 

3550 



464 



Chronological Tables, 



TABLE V. — THE HEBREWS 



FROM THE 
MESSIAS. 



RESTORATION TO THE 



B.C. 

Alexander the Great invades Persia, . 335 
Jaddus high-priest, . . . .332 

Alexander dies, 323 

Ptolemseus Lagus surprises Jerusalem, 320 
Septuagint Version made by order of 

Ptolemseus Philade!phus, . . -277 
Antiochus Epiphanes takes Jerusa- 
lem, ....... 170 

His persecution, 167 

Judas Machabeus governor, . . 166 
Jonathan governor, . . ^ . .161 
He becomes high-priest, . . .152 



Simon : treaty with the Romans and 
Lacedemonians, .... 

John Hyrcanus, .... 

Judas (Arisiobulus) high-priest and 
king, 

Anna the prophetess, 

Jerusalem taken by Pompey, 

Herod made king, .... 

Augustus Cesar Emperor of Rome, 

Herod rebuilds the temple, . 

John the Baptist born, . 

Christ born. 



143 
135 

IC7 
88 
63 
40 
28 
18 



TABLE VL — THE LIFE OF CHRIST, THE MESSIAS. 



Christ is born at Bethlehem Dec. 25, 
Luke ii. He is circumcised, Jan. i, 
Lukeii. 



The wise men come and adore Him, 
Matt. ii. 

He is presented in the temple, Feb. 2, 
Luke ii. 

St. Joseph and the B. Virgin fly with 
the child Jesus into Egypt, Matt li. 

The massacre of the intants by Herod, 
Matt. ii. St. Joseph, with the B. Vir- 
gin and her Son, returneth f<om 
Egypt, but, for fear of Archelaus, 
goeth and liveth at Nazareth in 
Galilee, Matt. 'i. 

Jesus is found in the temple disputing 
with the doctors when he was 
twelve years of age, Luke ii., . 

St. John Baptist beginneth to preach 
and baptize, John i., . 

Jesus Himself is baptized by John. A 
voice from heaven declareth Him the 
beloved Son of God ; the Holy Ghost 
cometh down like a dove. Matt, iii., 
Mark i., Luke iii. 

Christ's first miracle at Cana in Gali- 
lee, by turning water into wine, 
John ii. 

St. John Baptist is cast into prison, and 
after some time beheaded by Herod, 



4000 

A.D 



30 I 



Matt, iv. and 
ix., . 



Mark vi., Luke 



Christ maketh choice of twelve of His 
disciples, whom He calleth apostles. 
Peter is the first of them. Matt, x., 
Mark iii., Luke ix. 

Christ's sermon on the mountain, Matt, 
v., vi., and vii. He preacheth in 
Judea and Galilee, casteth out devils, 
and cureth all manner of diseases, 
Matt, xii., Luke xiv., etc. 

He raiseth to life the daughter of Jai- 
rus. Matt, ix., Mark v., Luke viii. 

The son of the widow of Nairn, 
Luke vii. 

He calmeth the sea with His word, 
Matt, viii., Mark iv., Luke viii. 

He healeth the man that had been thir- 
ty-eight years ill of a palsy, John v.. 

He sendeth His twelve apostles to 
preach, with power of doing mira- 
cles, Matt. X., Mark vi., Luke ix., . 

He maketh choice of seventy-two dis- 
ciples, Luke X., 

He feedeth at one time 5,000 men with 
five loaves. Matt. xiv. 

At another time 4,000 with seven 
loaves. Matt. xv. 

He restoreth sight to the man born 
blind, and raiseth Lazarus to life, 
John ix. and xi., 



33 



Chro7zological Tables. 



465 



TABLE VI. — coniiiiiied. 



He Cometh into Jerusalem riding upon 
au ass, Matt. xxi. 

He instiluteth the Blessed Sacrament 
and Sacrifice of His Body and Blood, 
Matt, xxviii. 

He is betrayed by Judas, and con- 
demned to die. 

He is scourged, crowned with thorns, 
and crucified. 

He dieth and is buried. 



He riseth from the dead the third 
day. 

He giveth His apostles power to for- 
give sins, John xx. 23. 

He giveth to St. Peier the charge of 
His whole church, John xxi. 

He promiset'i to be with His church 
to the end of the world. Matt, xxviii. 

After forty days, He ascendeth into 
heaven. Acts i. 



TABLE VIL THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST IN THE DAYS OF THE 

APOSTLES. 



St. Matthias is chosen an apostle in 
the p:ace of Judas the traitor. Acts i. 

On the day of Pentecost, the Holy 
Ghost cometh down upon the apos- 
tles. Acts ii. 

They preach the resurrection of 
Christ, and the necessity of believ- 
ing in him. 

St. Peter converteth on one day 3 000, 
on another 5,000, Acts ii. 41 ; and 
Acts iv. 4. 

He with St. Johncureth the lame beg- 
gar that sat at the gate of the tem- 
ple, Acts iii. 6. 

The new Christians have all things in 
common, Acts iv. 32. 

Ananias and Saphira, for reserving 
some part of the money for a field 
sold, and for lying to the Holy 
Ghost, fall down dead at St. Peter's 
feet. Acts iv. 32. 

The election of the seven deacons. 
Acts vi. 

Saul, by viitue of a coramission from 
the chief priests, persecuieth the 
Christians, Acts ix. 

St. Stephen is stoned, Acts vii. 58, . 34 

The disciples, being dispersed, preach 
in Judea and Samaria, etc. 

St Philip converteth the Samaritans, 
Acts viii. 

St. Paul is miraculously converted. 
Acts ix. 



St. Peter cureth Eneas at Lydda, and 
raiseth to life Tabitha at Joppe, 
Acts ix 35 

The very shadow ^f his body cureth 
all distempers. Acts v. 15. 

He receiveth Cornelius the centurion, 
and other Gentdes, into t. e church, 
Acts x., 39 

St. Matthew writeth his Gospel. . . 42 

St. Peter goeth to Rome, and foundeth 
the church there. 

St. Barnabas and St. Paul preach at 
Antioch, wnere the believers are 
first called Christians, Acts XI, . 43 

Herod Agrippa beheadeth St. James, 
the broiher of St. Jolin ; and impri- 
soneth St. Peter, who is miracu- 
lously delivered, Actsxii., . . 44 

St. Paul and St. Barnabas are sent 
to preach to the Gentiles, Acts 
xiii. 14, 45 

St. Peter writeth his First Epistle, 
from Rome ; where also St. Mark 
writeth his Gospel. 

A council of the apostles and ancients 
at Jerusalem, 5* 

St. Paul preacheth in Macedonia and 
Achaia, Acts xvi. and xvii., . . 53 

He writeth h's First Epistle to the 
Thessalonians, and the Second soon 
after. 

He writeth to the Galatians. St. Luke 
writeth his Gospel, . . . • 5S 



466 



Chronological Tables, 



TABLE VII. — co7itinued. 



St. Paul . writeth his First and soon 
after his Second Epistle to the Cor- 
inthians, 59 

He writeth to the Romans, . . • 58 

He is apprehended at Jerusalem, Acts 
xxi. 59 

He appealeth to Cesar, and is sent to 
Rome, 61 

St. James about this time writeth his 
epistle. 

St. Paul at Rome converteth Onesi- 
mus, and sendeth him with his letter 
to Philemon. He writeth to the 
Ephesians, Philippians, and Colos- 
sians, 62 

St. James, Bishop of Jerusalem, is there 
martyred. 

St. Paul, being set at liberty, writeth 
to the Hebrews, .... 63 

St. Luke writeth the Act? of the Apos- 
tles. 



St. Paul writeth his First Epistle 
to Timothy, and his Epistle to 
Titus, 66 

St. Peter about this time writeth his 
Second Epistle. 

St. Peter and St. Paul are imprisoned 
at Rome. 

St. Paul writeth his Second Epistle to 
Timothy. 

St. Peter and St. Paul are put to death 
by Nero. 

St. John is cast into a cauldron of boil- 
ing oil at Rome under Domitian,and 
is banished thence to Patmos, . 95 

He writeth the Apocalypse. 

He returneth to Ephesus under the 
Emperor Nerv^a, and there writeth 
his Gospel. The time of the writing 
of his Epistles is uncertain, • . 96 

He dieth at Ephesus under Trajan, 
about the year 100, .... 100 



TABLE VIII. VARIATIONS IN DATES ACCORDING TO CHRONOLOGERS. 



The Deluge took place in the year 

The Exodus 

David made King 

The Temple of Solomon 

The First Olympiad 

Rome Built (April i) 

The Temple Destroyed 

Cyrus Frees the J3ws 

The Greek Empire 

The Roman Empire 

The Birth of Jesus Christ 

Christ is Crucified 

Death of St. John 



TiRIN. 


Pezron. 


USSHER. 


A.M. 
1655 


A.M. 


A.M. 


2256 


1656 


2543 


3953 


2513 


2979 


4872 


2949 


3023 


4915 


2993 


3228 


5088 




3251 


5217 


3256 


3445 


5386 


3406 


3475 


5436 


3468 


3675 


5641 





3979 


5941 




4000 


5967 


4000 or 
4004 


4034 


6000 


.... 


4100 




4099 



2348 
I49I 
1055 

lOII 

753 
588 
536 
331 
31 



36 
100 



Books of the Bible. 



467 



SECOND SERIES-BOOKS OF THE BIBLE. 



TABLE I. HISTORICAL BOOKS. 



Name. 



1. Genesis 

2. Exodus 

3. Leviticus 

4. Numbers 

5. Deuteronomy 

6. Josue 

7. Judges 

8. I. Kings 

9. II. Kings 

10. III. Kings 

11. IV. Kings 

12. I. Paralipomenon. . . 

13. II. Paralipomenon.. 

14. I. Esdras 

15. II. *' or Nehemias 

16. I. Machabees 

17. II. Machabees 

iS. Gosp. of St. Matthew. 

19. Gosp. of St. Mark. . 

20. Gosp. of St. Luke. . . 

21. Gosp. of St. John. . . . 

22. Acts of the Apostles, 



Author. 



Moses 

Moses 

Moses 

Moses 

Moses 

Josue 

Samuel 

Samuel and others 

Nathan and others 

Addo and others 

Jehu, Esdras, etc. 

Esdras 

Esdras 

Esdras 

Esdras or Nehemias 

Hyrcan 

Jason 

Matthew 

Mark 

Luke 

John 

Luke 



Language. 



Date of Composi- 
tion. 



Hebrew 
Hebrew 
Hebrew 
Hebrew 
Hebrew 
Hebrew 
' Hebrew 
I Hebrew 
Hebrew 
Hebrew 
I Hebrew 
I Hebrew ' 
i Hebrew \ 
j Hebrew 
I Hebrew 
Hebrew 
Greek 
Hebrew 
Gr. or Lat 
Greek 
Greek 
Greek 



1455 B.C. 

1456 " 
1480 " 
1470 " 
1448 " 
1430 " 
1056 " 
1051 " 
1016 " 

SS9 " 

562 " 
f In the 6fth cen- 
I tury B c, bj- Es- 
-| dras. who died in 
450, and Xehemi- 
t as, in 420. 

131 B.C. 

41 A.D. 

43 " 

56 '• 
9S " 
63 " 



TABLE II. PROPHETICAL BOOK; 



Name. 



24. Jeremias. 

25. Baruch. . 

26. Ezechiel. 



Daniel 



Author. 



Isaias 
Jeremias 
Baruch 
Ezechiel 

Daniel 

Osee 



28. Osee 

29. Joel i Joel 

30. Amos i Amos 

31. Abdias Abdias 



Language. 



Date of Compo- 
sition. 



Hebrew 
Hebrew 
Hebrew 
Hebrew 
Heb. and 
Chaldaic 
Hebrew 
Hebrew 
Hebrew 
Hebrew 



754-694 B.C. 

5S2 
5S0 
570 
603-536 



777-693 
600 
789 
584 



468 



Books of the Bible. 

TAB LE II. — con tin ued. 



Name. 



32. Jonas 

33. Micheas. . . 

34. Nalium,. . . 

35. Habacuc. . . 

36. Sophonias. 

37. Aggeus 

38. Zacharias. . 

39. Malachias. . 

40. Apocalypse 



Author. 



Jonas 

Micheas 

Nahum 

Habacuc 

Sophonias 

Aggeus 

Zacharias 

Malachias 

St. John 



Langua'ge. 



Hebrew 
Hebrew 
Hebrew 
Hebrew 
Hebrew 
Hebrew 
Hebrew 
Hebrew 
Greek 



Date of Compo- 
sition. 



580 B.C. 
694 " 
707 " 

534 " 

636 " 

516 " 

516 " 

450 " 

96 A.D. 



TABLE III. THE HAGIOGRAPHA. 



Name. 



Author. 



41. Psalms 

42. Proverbs 

43. Ecclesiastes 

44. Canticle of Canticles. 

45. Wisdom 

46. Ecclesiasticus 

47. Epistle to the Romans 

48. I. Corinthians 

49. n. Corinthians 

50. Galatians ' 

51. Ephesians 

52. Philippians 

53. Colossians 

54. I. Thessalonians 

55. n. Thessalonians 

56. I. Timothy 

57. n. Timothy j St 

58. Titus 

59. Philemon 

60. Epistle to the Hebrews 

61. St. James the Less 

62. L Peter 

63. H. Peter 

64. I. John 

65. H. John 

66. HI. John 

67. St. Jude 



David and others 
Solomon 
Solomon 
Solomon 
Philo 
Jesus 
St. Paul 
St. Paul 

Paul 

Paul 

Paul 

Paul 

Paul 

Paul 

Paul 

Paul 

Paul 
St. Paul 
St. Paul 
St. Paul 
St James 
St. Peter 
St. Peter 
St. ^ohn 
St. John 
St. John 
St. Jude 



Language. 



Hebrew 

Hebrew 

Hebrew 

Hebrew 

Greek 

Hebrew 

Greek 

Greek 

Greek 

Greek 

Greek 

Greek 

Greek 

Greek 

Greek 

Greek 

Greek 

Greek 

Greek 

Greek 

Greek 

Greek 

Greek 

Greek 

Greek 

Greek 

Greek 



Date of Compo- 
si;ion. 



About TOGO B.C. 

1010-971 B.C. 

IOIO-97I •' 

IOIO-97I " 

284 

58 



A.D. 



57 
57 
56 

65 

62 

62 

52 

52 

64 

65 

64 

62 

63 

62 

50 

65 

70 or 98 " 

70 or 98 " 

70 or 98 " 

70 



Scripture Weights^ Measures^ and Money. 469 



TABLE IV. — BIBLE EPISODES. 



Name. 



68. Job... 

69. Ruth. . 

70. Tobias 

71. Judith. 

72. Esther 



uthor. 



Job or Moses 

Samuel 
Tobias 

Eliachim 

Mardochai 



Language. 



Arabic or 
Hebrew 
Hebrew 
Hebrew 
Chaldaic 
or Heb. 
Hebrew 



Da'.e of Compo- 
sition. 



1340 B.C. 

1050 " 
640 '• 

530 " 

500 " 



TABLE V. — APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS, ACTS, AND LITURGIES. 



1. The Gospel according to the 

Egyptians. 

2. The Gospel according to the He- 

brews. 

3. The Gospel of the Syrians. 

4. The Gospel of the Nazarcnes. 

5. The Protho-Evangel of St. James. 

6. The Gospel according to St Petf^r. 

7. The Gospel according to bi. 

Thomas. 

8. The Gospel according to St. Mat- 

thias. 

9. The .'-ospel according to St. Bar- 

tholomew. 
[O. The Gospel of the Twelve Apos- 
tles. 



The Gospel of St. Philip. 

The Acts of SS. Peter and Paul, 
Andrew and John. 

The Acts of the Apostles by the 
Ebionites. 

The Acts of SS. Philip and Tho- 
mas. 

15. The Revelations of SS. Paul and 

Thomas. 

16. The Apocalypse of St. Peter. 

17. The Acts of'SS. Paul and Thecla. 

18. The Lots of the Apostles. 

19. The Liturgy of St. Peter. 

20. The Liturgy of St. James. 

21. The Liturgy of St. Matthew. 

22. The Liturgy of St. Mark. 



THIRD SERIES-SCRIPTURE WEIGHTS, MEASURES, 
AND MONEY. 



TABLE I. WEIGHTS. 

1 gerah is equal to 12 grains = 3^ pennyweight. 

10 gerahs make i bekah = 5 " 

2 bekahs " i shekel (side) == 10 " 

60 shekels " i man eh = 2 lbs. 6 oz. 

50 manehs " i talent =*= 125 lbs. 



470 Scriphire Weights^ Measures^ and Money, 



TABLE II. SHORT MEASURE. 



1 digit is equal to 

4 digits make. 

3 palms *' . 

2 spans " . 

4 cubits *' . 
i3^ fathoms " . 
2 fathoms *' . 

10 Arabian poles " . 



.1 palm 

I span 

I cubit 

I fathom 

I Ezechiel's reed 

, I Arabian pole 

, ischoenus, or measur- 
ing line 



Feet. 
o 
o 
o 
I 

' 7 

lO 

14 

145 



TABLE III. — LONG MEASURE. 

Miles. Paces. 

1 cubit is equal to o o 

400 cubits make. . I stadium, or furlong.. . = o 145 

5 cubits " I Sabbath day's journey. = o 729 

2 Sabbath journeys " i Eastern mile = i 403 

3 Eastern miles " i parasang = 4 153 

8 parasangs " i day's journey ==33 172 

TABLE IV. — LIQUID • MEASURE. 

Gallons. 
O 



I caph is equal to. . 

\Y^ caphs make i log. 



4 logs 
3 cabs 

2 bins 

3 seahs 
10 ephahs 



.1 cab 

I hin 

I seah 

I bath, or ephah. 
,1 chomer, or kor. 



o 
o 
I 
2 

7 
75 



Inches. 
0912 
3-648 

10-944 

9-888 

3'552 

11-328 

7-104 

11-04 



Feet. 
1-824 
4-6 
3-0 
i-o 

3-0 

4-0 



Pints. 
0-625 
0-833' 

3-333' 
2-000 
4000 
4-000 
5-000 



TABLE V. DRY MEASURE. 



1 gachal is equal to 

20 gachals make i cab 

36 gachals " i omer, or gomer. 

3)<^ omers " i seah 

3 seahs " I ephah 

5 ephahs " i letech 

2 letechs " i chomer, or kor.. 



Pecks. Gallons. Pints. 



o 
o 
o 

I 

3 
16 

32 



o 1416 

2-8333' 

5-1 

I 

3 
o 
o 



TABLE VI. — JEWISH MONEY. 



1 gerah is equal to 

10 gerahs make i bekah. . 

2 bekahs " i shekel. 

60 shekels " I maneh, 

mna. 

60 manehs " i talent. . 

I sextula, or solidus aureus 

I shekel of gold. 



or Hebrew 



Dollars, 
o 
o 
o 

27 

:,663 
2-963 

8-75^ 



Cents. 

2-3096J 
23-0968 
46-1936 

71-716 
02 960 



talent of gold 26,608-50 



Scripture Time- Tables. 471 



TABLE VII. — ROMAN MONEY MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE. 



A mite is equal to 

2 mites make i farthing 

5 farthings " i penny, or denarius.. . 

100 denarii, or pennies..! pound, mina, or mna. 



Dollars. 


Cents. 





IM 


= 


3 


= 


15 


= 15 






FOURTH SERIES-SCRIPTURE TIME-TABLES. 

TABLE I. — DIVISIONS OF DAYS AND NIGHTS. 
Days. 

1. Aurora Twilight before sunrise. 

2. Morning From sunrise to the heat of the day. 

3. The heat of the day From the beginning of heat to mid-day. 

4. The mid-day From noon to the cool of evening. 

5. The time of the breeze The cool of the evening. 

6. The evening The twilight after sunset. 

Or 

1. The first hour The period from sunrise to three hours after. 

2. The third hour The period from the first hour to mid-day. 

3. The sixth hour The period from mid-day to three hours after. 

4. The ninth hour The period from the sixth hour to sunset. 

Nights. 

1. Even The period from sunset to three hours after. 

2. The midnight The period from even to midnight.- 

3. The cock-crowing The period from midnight to three hours after. 

4. Early in the morning The period from cock-crowing to sunrise. 



TABLE II. THE DAYS OF THE SHABOOANG, OR WEEK. 

1. One of the Sabbath, or first day , Sunday. 

2. The second day of the Sabbath Monday. 

3. The third day of the Sabbath Tuesday. 

4. The fourth day of the Sabbath Wednesday. 

5. The fifth day of the Sabbath Thursday. 

6. The sixth day of the Sabbath, or the vigil of the Sabbath, or 

Parasce^e ; that is, preparation Friday. 

7. The Sabbath Saturday. 



472 



Scripture Time- Tables. 



TABLE III. — WEEKS. 

1. The week of days Seven days. 

2. The week of weeks Forty-nine days. 

3. The week of years Seven years. 

4. The week of Sabbatical years -. . .¥ Forty-nine years. 

Pentecost came after a week of weeks. The Sabbatical year was the 

seventh in a week of years. The Jubilee came after a week of Sabbatical 
years. 

TABLE IV. — MONTHS. 



Name. 
First month, or Nisan, or Adib... 
Second month, or Zir, or J5'^ar. . . 

Third month, or Sivan 

Fourth month, or Thaimnouz 

Fifth month, or Ab 

Sixth month, or Eloul 

Seventh month, or Tishri 

Eighth month, or Bui, or 

Marchesvan 

Ninth month, or Casleu 

Tenth month, or Tebeth 

Eleventh month, or Shebat. 

Twelfth month, or Adar 



English name. Days. 

Part of March and April 30 

" April and May 29 

" May and June 30 

" June and July 29 

" July and August 30 

" August and September. . 29 

" September and October.. 30 



October and November... 29 

November and December 30 

December and January.. 29 

January and Februar}^.. 30 

February and March. ... 29 



As the Jewish year was lunar, and consisted of 354 da5's and eight 
hours, the Jews, to keep time with the solar year, added as often as it was 
necessary an intercalary month at the end of the ecclesiastical year, and 
called it Ve-adar, the second Adar. The ecclesiastical year began with 
Nisan ; the civil year with Tishri. 



TABLE V. — FESTIVALS. 

Time of Celebration. 

1. 7"/^^ i'^j^,^, or the deliverance from Egypt. . 14th to 21st of Nisan. 

^, „^^ xi.1-- r -u i.(A week of weeks from the 

2. The Pentecost, or thanksgivmg for harvest, -j Pasch 

3. The Feast of Tabernacles, a commemo- \ _ ^ j^ ^^ ^^ ^^ Tj^j^^j_ 

ration of journeymg m the desert, j ^ ^ 

4. The Feast of Phzcrim, the de- ) ^^ ^^^ ^ ^^ ^^ ^^^^^ 

liverance from Aman, ) . 

5. The Day of Expiation, a day of fasting loth of Tishri. 

6. r^^ i^f^j/ ^/ ^«r«;zza, the dedication of the j The 25th of Casleu to the 

Temple by Judas Machabeus \ 3(i of Tebeth. 

7. The New Moons and the Feast of the New j The first day of each month 

Year ( and year. 



GLOSSARY. 



Aa'ron (from Haron, a mountaineer, or the 
Egyptian Hur^ light), the son of Amram 
and Jochabed, the elder brother of Moses 
and Miriam, a Levite and high-priest of 
the Jews. 

Ab'arim (passages) a range of mountains 
on the east side of the Jordan opposite 
Jericho, from one of whose peaks. Mount 
Nebo, Moses viewed the Promised Land. 

Abba {Ab, father), a Chaldaic form equiva- 
lent to papa. 

Abdem'elech, the servant of the king. 

Abdi'as, the servant of the Lord. 

Ab'don, from Abdi, a servant. 

A'bel {Hevel, breath), the second son of 
Adam, murdered by his brother Cain. 

Abi'athar (excellent father), son of the 
high-priest Achimelech, who escaped the 
slaughter inflicted on his father's house 
by Saul. 

Ab'igail (the father of exultation), the wife 
of Nabal, who supplied David in his dis- 
tress with provisions, and on the death of 
Nabal, ten days after, became the wife of 
David. 

Ab'isag (father of error), a beautiful Su- 
nanimitess chosen to comfort David in 
his old age. 

Ab'ner (father of light), Saul's first cousin, 
and general of his armies, who proclaimed 
Isboseth after Saul's death, and was after- 
wards assassinated by Joab. He was la- 
mented by David. 

As a villain dies ought Abner to die ! 
Thy hands not fettered ; 
Thy feet not bound with chains ; 
As one falls before the malicious fellest 
thou ! 

Abomination of Desolation, a horrible 
abomination. 

A'bram (high father), changed into Abra- 
ham (father of a multitude), the father of 
the Hebrew race. 



Ab'salom (the father of peace), the third son 
of David, a rebel. 

Ac'CAROM (sterility), the most northerly of 
the five towns belonging to the lords of 
the Philistines. 

A'CHAB, father's brother. 

Acha'ia (sadness), a Roman province which 
included the whole of the Peloponnesus 
and adjacent islands, with the greater part 
of Hellas proper. Achaia and Macedonia 
comprehended the whole of Greece. 

A'cHAz (possessing), a king of Juda. 

Achim'elech, my brother king. 

Ach'itob, a brother's goodness. 

Ad'am, red earth. 

Ad'on, lord. 

Adona'i, my Lord, one of the names of God. 

Adoni'as, the reigning lord. 

Af'rica, in Hebrew, Pul, that is, ruin. 

Ag'abus, a locust. 

A'gag (from A^^ag^ to burn), a king of Ama- 
lech. 

A'gar, a stranger. 

Ag'geus, joyful. 

A'hod, one that praises. 

Alexan'der, a manly helper. 

Alexan'dria (Gr. -dria), the Grecian, Ro- 
man, and Christian capital of Egypt, It 
was founded by Alexander the Great 332 
A.c. It had excellent harbors, formed by 
the island Pharos and the headland Lo- 
chias, suited alike for commerce and war. 
The inland lake, Mareotis, served as a 
haven for the merchandise of India and 
Egypt. It had at one time a population 
of 300,000 freemen. 

Allelu'ia, praise the Lord. 

A'man, a disturber. 

Am'elech, a king. 

A'men, let it be. 

Amin'idab, a willing people. 

A'mos, a burden. 

Am'ri, one who speaks. 

Anani'as, cloud of the Lord. 



474 



Glossary, 



An'athoth, answers or canticles. 

An'drew, most valiant. 

An'na, gracious. 

An'tioch {for a chariot) ^ the capital of Sy- 
ria. It is built at the junction of the north- 
ern range of Lebanon with the eastern 
chain of Taurus, where the river Orontes 
breaks through the mountains. Situated 
partly on an island, partly on a level flat 
on the left bank of the river, and partly on 
Mount Silpius, which rose abruptly to the 
south, it is favorably placed, in a mili- 
tary point of view. It was founded by 
Seleucus Nicator 300 a.c. It is one of the 
most renowned cities of antiquity. 

Apos'tle, one sent. 

Ara'bia, in Hebrew, Saba, that is, conver- 
sion. Arabia was divided by the Greeks 
into Arabia Felix, Arabia Deserta, and 
Arabia Petroea — names doubtless taken 
from the quality of the soil. This division 
by Ptolemy included the whole peninsula, 
the Arabian desert to the north, the desert 
of Petra, and the peninsula of Sinai. 

A'ram, highness, sublimity. 

Ar'arat (fearful malediction), a mountain 
in Armenia, where the ark rested. 

Archi'triclinus, the master of the banquet. 

Areop'agus (the Hill of Mars), a rocky 
height in Athens opposite the western end 
of the Acropolis, from which it was sepa- 
rated by an elevated valley. Here the 
higher tribunal of the Athenians assem- 
bled. It was sometimes called the upper 
council, to distinguish it from the lower 
council, or the meeting of the Five Hun- 
dred, in the valley below* 

Arme'nia, in Hebrew called Ararat, is an 
elevated plateau between the Persian Gulf 
and the Caspian and Euxine Seas. It is 
the watershed ofthe Tigris and Euphrates, 
which flow to the Persian Gulf, and of the 
Araxes, which runs down to the Caspian 
Sea, and the Acampsis, flowing into the 
Euxine. Two mountain ranges run from 
east to west, the northern one of which 
culminates in Mount Ararat, where the 
ark rested. 

Arphax'ad, a healer. 

Artaxerx'es, light, or a curse. 

A'sAPH, one that assembled. 



A'sER, one bound,when spelled with Samech. 
A'ser (beatitude, when spelled with Sin), a 

son of Jacob. 
As'suERus, a prince, the head. ' 
As'suR, a plotter. 
As'taroth, flocks. 
Azari'as, the help of the Lord. 
Azo'tus (in Hebrew, Asdod), spoils. 



Ba'al, an idol. 

Ba'bel, confusion. 

Bab'ylon (citadel of Belus), the metropolis 

of Mesopotamia. 
Ba'la (spelled in Hebrew with He means 

inveterate), Rachel's handmaid. 
Ba la (spelled with Ain means destroying), a 

city. 
Ba'lac, a destroyer. 
Banai'as, the son of the Lord. 
Ba'rac, lightning. 
Barachi'as, praising the Lord. 
Barjo'na, the son of a dove. 
Bar'nabas, the son of consolation. 
Bar'sabas, the son of conversion. 
Barthim'eus, the blind son. 
Barthol'omew, the son of one stopping wa- 
ters. 
Bar'uch, blessed. 
Bath'uel, the sonship of God. 
Beel'phegor, the idol of hiatus. 
Beel'zebub, the lord of idols. 
Behe'moth, beasts of burden. 
Bel, ancient. 
Beli'al, depraved. 
Ben'jamin, son ofthe right hand. 
Beno'ni, child of sorrow. 
Ber'esith, the He'brew name of Genesis. It 

means, in the beginning. , 

Beth'any, the house of affliction. 
Beth'el, the house of God. 
Beth'lehem, the house of bread. 
Bkth'phage, the house ofthe vale. 
Beth'phogor, the house of Phogor. 
Bethsaid'a, the house of fruits. 
Boaner'ges, the son of thunder. 
Bo'oz, in strength. 
Bos'ra, a fortification. 
Burnt-offering, the choicest specimen of 

gift off'ering, in which nothing remained 

unconsumed but the ashes. 



Glossary. 



475 



Ca'des, holiness. 

Ca'in, a possession. 

Ca'leb, ^dog. 

Ca'na, zeal, emulation. 

Caphar'naum, the" field of penance. 

Cariath'jarim, the city of the woods. 

Car'mel, a circumcised lamb. 

Car'thage, in Hebrew, Tharsis, the con- 
templation of joy. 

Ce'dar, blackness, sadness. 

Ce'dron, blackened, sad. 

Ce'phas, a rock. 

Cetur'a, breathing aroma, 

Chald'ee, in Hebrew, Chasdim, that is, like 
devils. 

Cham, white. 

Cher'ub, like a master. 

Christ, anointed. 

Cle'ophas, all glory. 

Ccelesy'ria, Winding Syria. 

Colos'sians, afflicted with punishment. 

Cos'bi, lying. 

Cy'prus (beautiful), an island in the extreme 
eastern corner of the Mediterranean, with 
Mount Taurus on the north, and Lebanon 
on the east. It is a rich and fertile island, 
and is frequently mentioned in ancient his- 
tory, both sacred and profane. 

Cyre'ne (lordly), one of the principal cities 
of Northern Africa, not far from the site 
of modern Tripoli. 

Cy'rus, miserable. 



Da'gon (fish-god, or wheat), the god of Ash- 
dod. Dagon was an idol of the Philis- 
tines who colonized the southern shores 
of Palestine. , These seafaring people 
erected idols even in the inland cities of 
Ashdod and Gaza. The inhabitants of 
Ascalon worshipped Derceto, the fish- 
goddess. 

Dali'la, poverty. 

Damas'cus (dwelling of Mesech ; or the 
image of a conflagration), a city on the 
river Barada in Syria, above which rise 
bare, sterile ranges of mountains. The 
course of this rapid river is everywhere 
marked by a mass of vegetation, as pop- 



lars, walnuts, and willows overshadow 

its crystal face. 
Dan, judgment. 
Dan'iel, judgment of God. 
Dari'us, a searcher. 
Da'than, a rite, a law. 
Da'vid. beloved. 
Deb'ora, a bee, a word. 
Decap'olis, the region often cities. 
Did'ymus, twins. 
Di'na, judgment. 
Diony'sius, dropped from God. 

Eccle'sias'tes, a preacher. 

Ebene'zer (stone of help), so called by Sam- 
uel on account of the Lord's assistance 
against the Philistines. 

E'den, pleasure. 

E'dom (red), the brother of Jacob, who sold 
his birthright for a mess of red pottage. 
Idumea, the country of the Edomites, is 
situated in Arabia Petroea. Bozra is the 
capital of Eastern and Petra of Southern 
Idumea. 

Eg'lon, a calf. 

E'gypt (shut in) ; David called it the land of 
Ham ; Isaias, Rahab (the inconstant) ; the 
Arabs, Mesraim, to indicate the two divi- 
sions of Egypt into upper and lower ; and 
the Egyptians, Chem, from the black ap- 
pearance of the soil. 

Elea'zar, the help of God. 

Eli'achim, the resurrection of God. 

Eli'as, God, a lord. 

Elie'zer, the help of God. 

Elim'elech, my King, God. 

Elis'abeth, God of oaths. 

Elise'us, the salvation of God. 

Emman'uel, God with us. 

Em'maus, fearing council. 

E'nac, a giant. 

En'nom, behold him. 

E'nos, a man. 

Eph'raim (fruit-bearing), the second son of 
Joseph, or a mountain in the territory of 
Ephraim. 

Eph'rata (richness), a town in the tribe of 
Juda. 

Eph'ron (dust), a town in the wilderness of 
Judea. 



4/6 



Glossary, 



E'sAU (hairy), the first-born of Isaac, called 

also Edom. 
Euphra'tes (fruitfulness), one of the four 

rivers of Eden. 
Eve, life. 

Ezechi'as, fortitude of the Lord. 
Eze'chiel, fortitude of God. 
Ez'ra (help), a priest who led the second 

colony of the Jews from Babylon to 

Jerusalem. 



Fair Ha'vens, a harbor in the island of 
Crete. 

Fe'lix (happy), a governor of Judea. 

Frank'incense, a vegetable resin, brittle, 
glittering, and of a bitter taste, used for 
the purpose of sacrificial fumigation. 

Ga'baa, a hill. 

Ga'briel, man of God. 

Gal'aad, lowliness. 

Gal'gal (a wheel), a place in the plain of 
Jericho where the Israelites were circum- 
cised. 

Gal'ilee (a circle), a region in the tribe of 
Nephtali, in the Jordan valley. 

Gath (wine-press), a city of the Philistines. 

Ga'zophyla'cium (treasure-guard), the place 
in the temple where the treasure was 
kept. 

Geb'boe (bleak mountain), a barren moun- 
tain in the tribe of Issachar. 

Ged'eon, a feller or hewer. 

Gehen'na, the valley of sorrow. 

Ger'ezim (sterile land), a mountain in Eph- 
raim opposite Ebal. 

Gil'ead (heap of witness), a mountain in 
the district south of the river Jabbok, 
where were situated the chief forest-lands 
and pasture-lands of Palestine. 

GoG (mountain), the title of the kings of a 
Scythian race. 

Goli'ath (exile), a gigantic Philistine of 
Gath. 

Gomor'rha (rebellious people, forest), a 
city in the plain of Siddiam. 

Greek, in Hebrew, Jevanim, that is, de- 
ceivers. I 



Hab'acuc, one that embraces. 

Hanani'as, the grace of the Lord. 

Ha'ram, destruction. « 

He'bal, heap of antiquity. 

He'ber (with Heth). a companion. 

He'ber (with ain), a passage. 

He'brew, one that passes. 

He'bron, society. 

He'le, oblation. 

Heliop'olis, in Hebrew, On, that is, sorrow. 

He'noch, dedicated. 

HiEROp'oLis, the sacred city. 

Holofer'nes, a brave leader. 

HoR (a mountain), a mountain where Aaron 

died. 
Ho'reb (a desert), a mountain near Madian. 
Hor'ma (destruction), a city of the Chanaan- 

ites. 
HuR, a cavern. 
Hus, council. 
Hy'men, a wedding-song. 

I 

Ich'abod (inglorious), the son of Phineas, so 
called because the ark of God, the glory 
of the nation, was taken at his birth, 

Idume'a (red), the same as Edom, whict 
see. 

I'saac, laughter. 

I'sAi, a gift. 

Isai'as, salvation of the Lord. 

Is'boseth, man of confusion. 

IgCARio'TES, man of murder. 

Ish'mael, whom God has heard. 

Is'rael, a prince of God. 

Is'sACHAR, a hireling. 

Ith'amar, land of palm. 



Jah, the self-existing, eternal God. The 
Jews never pronounce this name, but 
read for it Adonai. 

Ja'cob, a supplanter. 

Ja'hel, one that rises. 

Ja'min, the right hand. 

Japh'et, extended. 

Ja'son, healing. 

Ja'van, one that deceives. 

Je'bus, a treading out. 

Jechoni'as, the preparation of the Lord. 



Glossary. 



477 



Je'hu, existing. 

Jem'ini, the right hand. 

Jeph'the, one that opens. 

Jer'.^meel, the mercy of the Lord. 

Jeremi'as, the highness of the Lord. 

Jer'icho (month, the moon), a walled city in 
the days of Josue, situated in the plain of 
the Jordan where that river was crossed 
by the Jews in entering the Promised 
Land. 

Jer'ob.\al, an opponent of idols. 

Jero'bo.\m, an opponent of the people. 

Jerc'salem (dwelling of peace), the capital 
of Palestine. In the earlier ages, it was 
called Salem. The Jebusites gave it the 
name Jebus. Jebus was burnt by the 
tribe of Juda, and rebuilt by the tribe of 
Benjamin. The Jebusites retired to the 
higher position of Mount Sion, and main- 
tained their ground till the reign of David. 
Jerusalem was built along the edge of one 
of the highest table-lands of Palestine, and 
was at once a mountain city and a moun- 
tain fastness. 

Jes'se, existence. 

Je'sls, saviour. 

Jeth'ro, excellence. 

Jezom'as, hearing of the Lord. 

Jez'rael, the seed of God. 

Jo'ab, paternity. 

Jo'ach.\z, apprehension of God. 

Jo'achim, preparation of the Lord. 

Jo'as. diffidence. 

Job, afflicted. 

Jo'el, willingness. 

Joax'nes, gracious. 

Jo'.s-.\s, a dove. 

Jos'adab. spontaneous. 

Jon'athan. the gift of God. 

Jo'r.vm, lofty. 

Jor'd.\n (the river of judgment), the largest 
river in Palestine. Some derive it from 
Jarad, to descend, and this seems to cor- 
respond with the fact ; for in reality the 
Jordan is a " descender." The streams 
of the Jordan make three halts : first in 
the high waters of Lake Merom, next in 
Galilee, and thirdly in the Dead Sea. The 
volume of water in Lake Merom descends 
rapidly, with a fall of three thousand feet, 
to Galilee, and thence, with a fall of one 



thousand more, to the Dead Sea. The 
valley of the Jordan is three thousand feet 
below the highest table-lands of Judea. 
An air-line from the Sea of Galilee to the 
Dead Sea is sixty miles ; but so tortuous is 
its course that the length of the river is 
two hundred miles. From the highlands 
of Judea it has the appearance of a "gi- 
gantic green serpent." 

Jos'aphat, the Lord is judge. 

Jo'sEPH, increase. 

Josi'as, the fire of the Lord. 

Jos'le, the Lord is Saviour. 

Ji;'d.\s, praise. 



La' ban, white. 

La'mech, poor. 

Lap'idoth, lightnings. 

L.^'arls, the help of God. 

Leb'.a.non (the white mountain) ; this moun- 
tain is called the " Mont Blanc" of Pales- 
tine by an Eastern traveller, who says : 
" So long as its snowy tops were seen, 
there was never wanting to Hebrew poe- 
try the image of unearthly grandeur 
which nothing else but perpetual snow 
can give, especially as seen in the sum- 
mer, when the firmament around it seems 
to be on fire. And not grandeur only, 
but fertility and beauty, were held up, as 
it were, on its heights, as a model for the 
less fortunate regions which looked up to 
it. The dews of the mists that rose from 
its watery ravines, or of the clouds that 
rested on its summit, were perpetual wit- 
nesses of freshness and coolness, the 
sources, as it seemed, of all the moisture 
which was to the land of Palestine what 
the fragrant oil was to the garments of the 
high-priest ; what the refreshing influence 
of brotherly love was to the whole com- 
munity. And deep within the recesses of 
the mountain, beneath its crest of ice and 
snow, was the sacred forest of cedars." 

Le'vi. associated. 

Levi'.\th.\n, association. 

Li'a, fatigued. 

Lithos'trotos, strewed with stones. 

Lot (covering or veil), the nephew of Abra- 
ham. 



478 



Glossary, 



Lyb'ia, in Hebrew, Lubin, dwellers in a 
thirsty land. 

M 

Maa'cha (oppression), the mother of Abso- 
lom. 

Ma'dian, contested judgment, 

Mag'delena, magnificent. 

Ma'gi, wise men. 

Malachi'as, my messenger. 

Mal'aleel, praising the Lord. 

Mal'chus, a king. 

Mammo'na, money, riches. 

Mam'zer, one born of a strumpet. 

Man' ahem, a comforter. 

Manass'es, forgetful. 

Man'ae, repose. 

Ma'ra, bitterness. 

Mar'dochai, bitter contrition. 

Ma'ry, exalted ; sea of bitterness. 

Mar'tha, provoking. 

Mas'pha, glass or mirror. 

Mathu'sala, one that demands his death, 

Mat'thew, gifted. , 

Mel'chias, The Lord is King. 

Melchis'adech, king of justice. 

Mes'opota'mia, the Lyria of two rivers, or 
the land between the rivers Tigris and 
Euphrates. It is also called Aram, from 
the fifth son of Shem. 

Messi'as (anointed), corresponds with the 
Greek name Christ. Prophets, priests, 
and kings were anointed with oil to sym- 
bolize the graces communicated by the 
Holy Spirit to their respective offices. 
The t«rm Messias is exclusively applied 
to Jesus, who is pre-eminently the Prophet, 
Priest, and King. 

Mi'cHA, poor. 

Mi'cHAEL, who is like God ? 

Miche'as, who is like God ? 

Miphib'oseth, the mouth of ignominy, 

Mir'iam, their rebellion. 

Mis'ael, who hath been asked ? 

Mis'phat, judgment. 

Mna, a talent. 

Mo'ab, from the father. 
Mori'a, bitterness. 
Mo'sES, drawn from the water. 
My'sia (lofty or elevated), a province in 
Western Asia Minor. 



N 

Naa'man, beautiful. 

Na'bal, foolish. 

Na'bo, language, prophecy. 

Na'both, language. 

Nabuchodon'osor, the mourning of judg- 
ment. 

Na'chor, dry. 

Na'dab, willing. 

Nahas'son, a serpent. 

Na'hum, a consoler. 

Na'im, beautiful. 

Na'than, gifted. 

Nathan'ael, the gift of God. 

Naz'arite, separated, sanctified. 

Naz'areth, separator, sanctity. 

Neap'olis, the new city. 

Nehemi'as, consolation, 

Nem'rod, rebellious. 

Neph'thali, a wrestler. 

Nin'ive (beautiful), called by the Greeks 
and Romans, Ninus. It was built on the 
eastern bank of the Tigris by Nimrod. 

No'e, rest. 

Noe'mi, beautiful. 



Obedi'as, the servant of God. 
O'bed, a servant. 
Ochozi'as, apprehension. 
Odol'lam, testimony. 

Og (a giant), the King of Bashan, descend- 
ed from Enac. 
O'nan, iniquity. 
Ones'imus, useful. 
Oo'la, a tabernacle. 
Oph'ni, a fist. 
O'reb, a crow. 
O'sEE, a saviour. 
O'za, fortitude. 
Ozi'as, fortitude of the Lord. 
Ozi'el, fortitude of God. 



Pal'estine (land of wanderers), a region 
south of Syria which derived its name 
from the Philistines. 

Par'aclete, a comforter. 

Par'asce've, preparation. 

Pasch'a, passage. 

Pent'ateuch, five volumes. 



1 



Glossary. 



479 



Pent'ecost the fiftieth day (after the Re- 
surrection). 

Pe'ter, a rock. 

Per'sia (land of horses), the region between 
Media and the Persian Gulf. 

Pha'cee, one that opens. 

Ph.\n'i.el, seeing God. 

Pha'rao (from Phra, the Memphitic name of 
the sun), the title of the kings of Egypt. 

Pha'res, division. 

Phar'isee (divided), because by his manner 
of life he was separated from the other 
sects of the Jews. The Pharisees not 
only admitted the written laws of Moses, 
but insisted also on the necessity of tra- 
dition to interpret it. Secondly, they 
taught the doctrine of fatality, but not so 
as to destroy free will. Thirdly, they 
believed in the immortality of the soul 
and the metempsychosis of good spirits. 
Fourthly, they admitted the doctrine of 
the resurrection. Fifthly, they affected 
to practise celibacy, paid tithes, observed 
superstitious washings, prayed, fasted, 
and gave alms in public. The Scribes 
were the doctors of the law. Some were 
political, and attached to the court ; others 
ecclesiastical, and taught and interpreted 
in the church. The Scribes were gene- 
rally the gravest and most learned of the 
Pharisees. The Sadducees rejected the 
traditionsof the Pharisees ; acknowledged 

(2) no Scripture but the Pentateuch ; and 

(3) asserted there was neither resurrec- 
tion, nor angel, nor spirit. The Esseni 
held the true doctrines on the immortality 
of the soul, and the providence of God. 
They led a highly spiritual and austere 
life. The Hemerobaptistse agreed with 
the Sadducees on the doctrine of the resur- 
rection, and held the tenets of the Phari- 
sees on all other matters. The Herodiani 
asserted that Herod was the Messias. The 
Samaritans differed from the Jews (i) in 
worshipping the image of a dove in me- 
mory of Semiramis, (2) in rejecting three 
letters of the alphabet, and some other 
matters. They were Sadducees on the 
resurrection. 

Ph.\se, a passage. 
^uas'ga, a hill. 



Phil'istines (stranger), men from beyond 

the western sea. 
Phin'ees, confident face. 
Pho'gor, the idol of lust. 
Phll, Africa. 
Probat'ica (belonging to sheep), a lake 

where sheep were kept for sacrifice. 
Pros'elvte, a stranger. 



Ra'chel (a ewe), the youngest daughter of 

Laban, and the beloved wife of Jacob. 
R.a.g'lel, the pastor of God. 
Ra'hab (proud), a poetical name applied to 

Egypt. 
Ram'esses (from Ra, the sun), a city of 

Egypt which gave its name to the whole 

province. 
R.\ph'ael, the medicine. 
R.\ph'aim, giants, physicians. 
Rebec'ca (engaging, enchaining), the wife 

of Isaac. 
Reb'la, contention. 
Re'ca, a chariot. 

Rem'non (a pomegranate), a city in Simeon. 
Ro'boam, enlarging the people. 
Ro'm.\, lofty, sublime. 
Rl'ben, beholding a son. 
RiTH (a female friend), the wife of Maalon 

and Booz, and a daughter-in-law of 

Noemi. 



Sa'ba, conversion, captivity, a circuit. 

Sa'baoth, hosts, armies. 

S.a.b'bath, rest. 

Sad'ducees, just men. See Pharisees. 

Sa'doc, justice. 

Sa'le, mission. 

Salmana's.ar, concluded peace. 

Sal'mon, peaceful. 

Sol'omox, peaceful. 

Sama'ria (a watch-mountain), the capital of 
Israel. It was six miles from Sechem, on 
a hill between Mount Thabor and Lake 
Gennesareth. 

Sam'son, the sun of him. 

Sam'cel, placed by God. 

S.^nbal'lat, overseer of the army. 

Sa'ra, princess. 

Sara'i, my lady. 



48o 



Glossary. 



Sa'tan, an adversary, 

Scenope'gia (the feast of Tabernacles), a 
Jewish festival in thanksgiving- for the 
harvest, and to commemorate the wan- 
derings of their fathers in the desert. 

Scribes, writers. See Pharisees. 

Sede'cias, the just man of the Lord. 

Sem, a name, fame. 

Sem'ei, obedient. 

Sennach'erib (conqueror of armies), the son 
and successor of Sargon, King of As- 
syria. 

Sephar'raim, books, scribes. 

Seph'ora, beautiful, a bird, a tube. 

Ser'aphs (fiery serpents), the highest order 
of angelic beings, whose love ever burns. 

Seth, placed. 

Se'tim, expansions. 

Si'ba, an army. 

Sib'boleth, a burden. 

Sich'em (the shoulder or back), a town in 
Mount Ephraim between Ebal and Ge- 
rizim. 

Sil'oe, one sent. 

Sim'eon, one that hears, hearing. 

Si'mon, obedient. 

Sin, a bush, arms. 

Si'ON (dry rock), one of the hills on which 
Jerusalem was built. 

Sis'ara (order of battle), a general of Jabin, 
King of Chanaan. 

Sod'om (burning), a city of the plains. 

Steph'en, a crown. 

Su'lamite, peaceful. 

Sun'amite, sleeping. 

Susan'na, a lily or rose. 



Tha'bor (mountain-crest), a mountain situ- 
ated on the plain of Esdraelon, on the 
borders of Zabulon and Nephthali. 

Thadde'us, one that praises. 



Tha'mar, a palm. 
Tha're, giving out fragrance. 
Thar'sis, contemplation of joy. 
Ther'aphim, images. 
Thom'as, an abyss, twins. 
Tho'peth, seduction. 
Tim'eus, blindness. 
Tim'othy, honor to God. 
Ti'tus, honorable. 
Tobi'as, a good master. 
Tubal'cain, a clean possession. 
Tyr'ians (a rock), in Hebrew, Scrim, that is, 
persons inflicting tribulation. 



U 



Ur, fire. 

Uri'as, fire of the Lord. 

U'riel, light of God. 



Vaje'zatha (purity), a son of Haman. 

Vash'ni (gift), a son of Samuel. 

Vash'ti (beautiful), the queen of Assuerus. 



Za'bad, a gift. 

Zab'di, a gift. 

Zab'ulon, an inhabitation. 

Zac'cheus, pure. 

Zachari'as, memory of the Lord. 

Zam'bri, a singer. 

Za'ra, the Orient. 

Zebe'deus, a gift. 

Ze'bee, a victim. 

Zelo'tes, a rival. 

Zel'pha, enchantment of the mouth. 

Zoroba'bel, born in Babylon. 

Zil'lah (shadow), wife of Lamech. 

Zil'pah (drop of myrrh), handmaid of Lia. 

Zim'ran (vine-dresser), Cetura's son. 

Zim'ri (praiseworthy), Juda's grandson. 



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